Tears of the Soul
by Vahnati
Summary: A year post SC, Azula finds herself free from prison, but with a new threat to not only herself, but her Nation as well. With the love of an old friend, can she rise above the affronts of new and old enemies alike, or will the Fire Nation finally fall?
1. Dreams of Insanity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of it's related characters or themes.**

_"Tell me the reality is better than the dream, but I've found out the hard way; Nothing is what it seems!"- Slipknot, "Duality"_

* * *

><p>The evening sun saturated the landscape with a burning amber hue. As Azula leaned on her windowsill, enjoying the tranquil beauty of the imperial city at sundown, she couldn't help but let the serenity of the evening wash over her. A deep sigh of contention escaped her lips as a cluster of stray hair swayed in front of her eyes. Upon settling, she attempted to blow it out of the way, but to no avail. After multiple failed attempts, she resigned herself to accepting her hair's decision, and a minute smile crossed her lips. <em>Still defiant despite what happened last time, huh?<em> As the thought ran through her mind, her faint smile suddenly disappeared. She had reminded herself of that horrific day once again. The princess bowed her head and clenched her eyes tightly, as if to bar the memory from entering her mind. She couldn't allow herself to continue being haunted by the past. The constant everyday battle to regain her sanity was hard enough without all these depressing memories. _Dead memories_ she told herself. _Nothing but dead memories in my heart_. Azula's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden light knocking at her door. She gathered herself, taking one last glance at the serenity of the setting sun, before walking calmly to the door.

"Azula?" The girl's voice came from the other side, immediately telling Azula who it was before she could open the door.

"Hello Ty Lee." Azula greeted her lifelong friend as she opened the door. Any lingering memories of the past were now all but washed away as she looked upon her dearest friend. Ty Lee's beautiful, big, soft blue eyes and ever cheery demeanor were always enough to cheer the princess up. Her very presence was to Azula akin to a full, luminescent moon on the darkest nights, an unbreakable light that pierced through the enveloped darkness of her soul. _Where would I be without you, Ty Lee?_ She wanted so badly to tell her friend how she felt, how the very thought of Ty Lee was enough to keep her warm on the coldest nights, and was the sole motivation for her regaining sanity. _How could I ever tell her, especially after all I did to her?_ Azula fought once again to keep the words from escaping her lips.

"How have you been?" Ty Lee asked, cocking her head just slightly, enough to tell Azula that she sincerely cared. Azula always could read Ty Lee like a book, from her words to her body language, Ty Lee could never keep anything from the princess.

"I've been recovering, piece by piece every day. You've helped a lot with that." She gave Ty Lee a sheepish smile, hoping secretly that her friend could read her the same way she did. Azula knew she couldn't.

"Thanks Azula, that really makes me happy to hear. I've been worried about you, you mean a lot to me you know." The sincerity in Ty Lee's voice forced a warm feeling of comfort to race through Azula's body. She knew Ty Lee cared about her, but she couldn't be sure if it was in the same way the princess cared for her.

"You mean a lot to me as well, Ty Lee. I never could have made it through all this without you, I hope you realize that." Azula half stated, half asked, silently praying her friend would hear the plea in her words.

"Do you really mean that?" Ty Lee's brow furrowed empathetically at her friend's words. Did she really mean that much to Azula?

"Of course Ty Lee." Azula replied softly. "You mean more to me than anything else in the world. You're the reason I get up every morning, the motivation that keeps me going forward. You bring joy to me on even the hardest days, your face brightens the darkest nights. I know no matter how hard I fall, you will always be there at the bottom with a smile and a hand to help me up. Ty Lee, I can't help myself, I lov..." She stopped suddenly, eyes widened in shock, only now realizing that she was still talking. Her thoughts had finally forced themselves out, her feelings escaping her without her even realizing it. The princess' lip trembled. _Agni, what have I done? Why did I say that! She's going to run in terror! She must think_-

"Oh, Azula!" Ty Lee squealed as she grabbed her friend tight, cutting Azula's thoughts off. The princess couldn't move a muscle, couldn't muster a single coherent word or thought. The look of shock turning to one of amazement on her face. "Azula," Ty Lee whispered to her dear friend's ear, "Why did you wait so long to tell me?" The question came out along with tears of joy.

"You mean..." Azula was stuttering, still trying to recover from the shock of her friend's reaction. "You knew?" Those last words coming more as a sigh than anything else. A tighter hug and muffled laugh were answer enough. "How, I mean, how long have you known?" Azula plead, longing to know how long she had hid her feelings needlessly.

"Silly," Ty Lee giggled, "I can read you like a book." Her smile beaming larger than ever, she gave her friend a wink, infecting Azula until she broke into a half laughing, half sobbing fit. The princess returned her friend's embrace, longing to never have to let go. Ty Lee felt so warm in her arms, Azula couldn't bring herself to let go.

"Ty lee, I want to ask you-" She was cut off by her friend's warm, moist lips pressing sensually against her own. At first surprised, her body responded for her. Her eyes closed as she succumbed to the lusciousness of Ty Lee's lips, their sweetness overwhelming Azula's every taste bud. Ty Lee's finger faintly traced a line up and down the small of the princess' back, her touch so light and delicate that it felt to Azula as if a butterfly of silk were batting it's wings against her soft skin, a sensation that sent waves of warm pleasure pulsating throughout her body. A soft moan escaped the princess' lips, whilst Ty Lee's other hand effortlessly worked it's way into Azula's robe, caressing her inner thigh. The hand that was tracing a line of pleasure up and down the princess' back now glided thoughtlessly toward her neck, pinching it ever so slightly and causing Azula's body to go almost completely limp. She wasn't sure if she was even standing on her own two feet anymore, or if in fact Ty Lee was the only thing keeping her upright. She decided it was the latter.

Azula hadn't noticed their lips parting, having completely lost herself to the feeling Ty Lee's hands provided her. Ty Lee now cradled the princess' head in her hand, and leaned in to tenderly kiss the silken soft skin on Azula's neck, all the while her other hand cautiously and delicately caressing the tender flesh on the inside of her thigh. Azula's lips parted, whimpering a sigh of lust audible only to Ty Lee. Somehow her arm found the strength to wrap itself around Ty Lee's body, and with a sole finger she traced a line up her friend's back, forgetting completely the length and sharpness of her own nails. Ty Lee moaned audibly at the unexpected sensation, and Azula, with the sudden epiphany of what she had done, drew back abruptly. A look of terror flushed over the princess' face, the thought that she had just hurt her precious Ty Lee being too much to conceal.

"I'm sorry-" The princess began, but Ty Lee only giggled.

"It's okay," She whispered, "I liked it. Your whole life has been pain Azula. I want you to share it with me." Ty Lee gazed into Azula's amber eyes, now glistening with tears at the touching sincerity of her friend's words. Ty Lee gave her a comforting smile.

"Stay with me tonight." Azula whispered, pleading with Ty Lee not to leave.

"Oh, Azula," Ty Lee whimpered in response, "I'll stay with you forever." Azula held her tight, allowing a tear to fall and disappear in Ty Lee's soft, auburn hair.

_Drip._ Azula twitched. _Drip_. She awoke from her warm sleep, an unnaturally loud dripping noise pulling her from the sweet slumber she had been so happily enjoying._ Drip_. It was coming from the window. She turned her head to see Ty Lee still asleep, a look of complete contentment emanating from her face. Azula sighed, reluctantly getting out of bed to close the window. _Drip_. It was growing louder the closer she got. As she approached the window she noticed a faint orange glow coming from outside. Could it be dawn already? She asked herself, unsure of exactly how long she and Ty Lee had stayed up. _Drip_. The sound was unnerving, growing ever louder. She finally approached the window, and a look of absolute horror washed over her face. Outside her window, to her complete disbelief and astonishment, the entire imperial city was ablaze.

_No..._ She couldn't believe what she saw. Refused to believe it, and yet there it was still. An unrelenting inferno of hellfire ravaged everything in site, the deafening roar of the merciless flames drowning out all other sounds, dwarfing even the bloodcurdling screams of terrified citizens. Her lip trembled, eyes ripened with terror. _DRIP_. Still there was the dripping sound, louder than ever before, snapping her out of her daze. She turned to wake Ty Lee, only to find a more horrifying sight than the first. The entire room was ablaze in a furious torrent of orange and red. Tapestries on the wall incinerated in seconds, the wood in the walls and floor crackling painfully, crying out for mercy, only to find none in those pitiless flames. Azula instinctively began bending flames out of her way, desperately trying to reach a now fully awake and terrified Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee!" She screamed as she made her way towards the bed.

"Azula! Save me, please save me Azula!" Tye Lee cried out to her princess for salvation. Terrified and completely cut off by the flames, the girl could do nothing but curl into a ball and cry out, both out of fear and pain, as the flames rapidly found their way to her. Azula was bending like she never had before, somewhat true, as she had never practiced Firebending with the intention of saving someone, only ever destroying. Tears began swelling in her eyes, she couldn't bare the thought of losing her precious Ty Lee.

"I'm here Ty Lee, don't worry, I'll never let anything happen to you!" Azula shouted to her love as she reached the bed. As she prepared to bend the flames away, a sudden, deafening crack broke her concentration momentarily, and all the room seemed to shift violently.

"Oh Azula, I'm so grateful! You saved me Azula! You saved my li-" Before Ty Lee could finish her sentence, the entire floor beneath the bed collapsed, sending the bed, with Ty Lee still trapped on it, down into a scorching inferno below. Eyes widened in horrified astonishment, mouth unable to close, her entire body trembling uncontrollably, Azula could only stare into the blaze below her. _I... failed her_. Her own thoughts choking inside of her head, the only thing she could feel was a bottomless pit in her stomach, an aching of the heart that would never release her. _Ty Lee..._ She thought, as the tears began streaming down her cheek.

"AZULAAA!" Ty Lee's agonizing scream pierced through the flames, striking Azula's very soul with their utter helplessness and pain. The princess knew there was nothing she could do, nothing she could possibly even try that would save Ty Lee from the inferno she had been engulfed by.

"TYY LEEEE!" She awoke screaming. She sat silent and still for a moment as her scream echoed all about her in the darkness. As her eyes adjusted to the light (or lack thereof), she looked about the room she was in. Cold, concrete floor, pitiless brick walls. That massive, emotionless, iron door towering over her on one end of the room. It all came back to her then. Still in prison. Still alone. She couldn't stop herself from breaking down into tears. She curled her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around herself, bowing her head into her knees. Sobbing fits rocked her entire body, and she found herself gasping for air in between. "Ty Lee..." She whispered into the desperately lonely, desolate darkness that was her existence, but the only response was the dripping of water somewhere in the dark recesses of her cell.

* * *

><p><em>"All I got is insane."<em>


	2. Inside the Little Black Box

The voices outside her cell told Azula it was around noon. She had heard the subtle sounds of the changing of the guard a few hours earlier, being unable to ever reclaim sleep after her nightmare, and so the noise she heard now could only be the approach of the doctor and the casual chatter she made with the guards as they neared her cell. People walking towards her cell was the only noise Azula ever heard inside of her prison cell, and it wasn't a particularly common sound either. She found herself shaking, but whether it was caused by the cold permeating about the cell or a lingering sense of dread from her latest nightmare remained a mystery to her. Perhaps even, it may have been caused somewhat from a deep down, small, secret sense of anticipation. For a couple hours once a week, someone she had never known before would come to her cell, sit down, and talk with her.

While the doctor's ultimate objective was to help Azula identify and overcome those things which had brought her to this point, as well as to help mend her broken mind, that thing which the princess was most grateful for was just having somebody to speak with. Somebody to talk to her and to listen to what she had to say. Even if she didn't realize it herself, the truth was that she would long ago have succumbed to her madness and withered away into nothingness had it not been for the time she shared with her doctor. Ever since the incident which occurred just a couple months after she was first admitted, Azula had been denied any visitations save weekly sessions with the psychologist. The isolation had become unbearably hopeless. She wept nightly, and whenever sleep finally visited her it was neither soothing nor restful. Last night was no different than any of the other hundreds of nightmares which have plagued her ever since her imprisonment.

The voices grew louder and were accompanied by footsteps now. Azula listened intently as they drew nearer, though she didn't know why. She already knew what cell they were headed towards. The sharp shriek of scraping metal signaled the large key being inserted into her cell's door, and it was soon followed by the clink, clank, clunk of the lock being thrown. The large iron door began it's slow, arduous task of swinging open, it's hinges grinding under the weight and sending out a chorus of strained screeches ringing about her small cell. It was the closest thing to music she was ever allowed to hear. As the door swung further open, light began streaming through like an unbridled flood, anxious to illuminate the dark corners of the princess' cell. While it may have only been torchlight from the hallway outside, it could just as well have been the sun exploding outside of her door for all her eye's knew. Azula turned her head, knowing full well from previous mistakes how painful the light could be when viewed directly.

As the massive door swung further open, a gust of air swept into the cell, forcing out the stale, week old air that had settled in this pit. Although it was merely air from the prison's corridors, the princess reveled in it as though it were straight from a sweet meadow of fire lily's. She inhaled deeply, savoring the near heavenly aroma of the fresher air. The princess could feel the warmth of the light as it washed over her, bathing her with it's glorious luminescence as the sound of the door opening died down to an inaudible echo in the cracks of the bricks. The door fully opened, Azula remained still, patiently awaiting her doctor to enter the cell.

"Good afternoon, Azula." The doctor greeted with that ever friendly but stern voice of hers. Doctor Gweneth Tamoran was a native of the Earth Kingdom, but being born to a wealthy family during the occupation she had attended school in the Fire Nation. While standing at about 5'4" she may have seemed like a humble middle aged woman, but her stature disguised her strength. Although a fully credited psychologist, her area of expertise was individuals with sociopathic tendencies, and spending over 20 years face to face with some of the most deranged individuals the world had to offer, one could only imagine how forceful and head strong she had become. She was regarded amongst the finest in the world in her field, with plenty of glowing recommendations to accompany those claims. Eight months ago she had been contacted by none other than the Fire Lord himself for a very special assignment, and every week ever since she has visited the princess' cell.

"Hello Dr. Tamoran, it's nice to see you again." Azula replied with a weak and raspy voice. It wasn't very surprising, as she couldn't be expected to make much use of her voice sitting alone in a dark cell. The doctor turned her head briefly to say something to a guard the prisoner couldn't see, then proceeded to enter the small, dank cell, clipboard in hand. She must have said something about leaving the door open, Azula figured, as the guards made no attempt to shut it behind her. Dr. Tamoran carefully folded her flowered dress behind her knees and proceeded to sit a few feet in front of her patient, eying Azula carefully before starting. Satisfied that the princess was not in a violent mood, the good doctor decided to get started.

"I can see you haven't been practicing your voice exercises, would you care to tell me why?" Dr. Tamoran asked sternly but with just a hint of caring in her tone. She was quite good at it, Azula had come to realize these past months.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just haven't gotten used to the idea of talking to myself in the dark." The princess responded in a cautious manner, with a bit of sarcasm shining through her words. She continued, "I suppose I like to think I'm not that crazy, not yet anyways." A faint smirk crossed the princess' lips at this small joke. The doctor returned her smile, knowing just how important it was to keep the princess in a good mood.

"Well, it would be a shame for that beautiful voice of yours to be left behind when you are free from this place." The doctor's words were full of compassion, and Azula couldn't help but nod in agreement. Dr. Tamoran peered closely at the princess, those dull brown eyes of her's narrowing behind the wire rimmed, rectangular glasses that rested upon the bridge of her small nose. Azula felt as though the doctor were looking straight through to her thoughts, but it didn't bother her. She had become accustomed to this feeling, as the doctor did this quite often. It didn't take long for Dr. Tamoran to notice her patient was troubled. "You've had another nightmare Azula?" The certainty in her voice making it sound more like a statement than a question. The princess sighed, knowing from past experience how pointless it was to deny anything to her doctor at this point.

"Yes, I woke up screaming and haven't fallen back asleep since. It must have been at least five hours ago." Azula confessed, the memory of it stinging her words with pain.

"I know, the guards informed me before opening the door. I prefer to hear these things from you though, it's very crucial to the recovery process that you be honest with both yourself as well as me. Your honesty is much appreciated Azula, thank you." The doctor's compassionate words made the princess feel a little better. "Could you please recall your dream for me, in as much detail as possible?" Dr. Tamoran asked prudently, flipping a few sheets on her clipboard until she found the section containing every dream Azula had ever had while in prison. It was a big section.

She inhaled deeply before explaining with great detail everything that had occurred in her latest nightmare, cringing at certain parts and the whole time fighting back tears of both pleasure and pain. Dr. Tamoran watched her intently, offering the occasional "MmHmm" and "I see," as well as nodding empathetically when her patient recalled the painful parts. Azula let out a sigh as she finished, feeling relieved but also somewhat violated. No matter how many times she had gone through this, she still never truly got used to revealing her deepest inner thoughts to anybody, let alone someone she hardly even knew. It always left an uneasy feeling in the back of her mind. "What do you think this dream was trying to tell you Azula?"

"Well," The princess started, somewhat caught off guard by the doctor's question, "I think it was my subconscious manifesting the guilt I still feel for the loss of those I held dearest to me, and how I still blame myself for losing them." She noticed the pleasantly surprised look on Dr. Tamoran's face, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised herself. It seemed as though listening to the doctor's little lectures had paid off.

"Very good my dear!" Her doctor exclaimed, the surprise and pride both evident on her face. "As they would say in my homelands, I do believe you've hit the nail on the head!" The good doctor praised Azula with a cheery smile, igniting a spark of assurance in the back of her mind. For a brief moment there, Azula felt a shadow of her former self shine through. The proud, confident princess who could answer any question with absolute certainty, defeat any enemy with skill and cunning. The superlative prodigy of the Fire Nation, born to lead her people to the final, ultimate victory. Alas, look at her now, rotting in a pile of her own filth, forgotten by the very people she was supposed to lead, she sat now broken and destitute. She wasn't even certain she could firebend anymore, as if it made any difference. She was no prodigy, just a worthless failure. Azula cringed at her own thoughts, her face contorting in agony from the tormenting memories.

Dr. Tamoran noticed immediately the sudden shift in Azula's demeanor. "What's troubling you, Azula?" Once again, the princess found herself under the scrutinizing gaze of her doctor. She sniffled, secretly holding back a tear, but hesitated to respond right away. "Is it your friend? Perhaps you feel as though you will never have a chance to make amends for what has befallen the two of you?" The doctor continued to prod, refusing to accept a sniff for an answer.

"Just... bad memories." Azula whispered in defeat, turning her head aside. Dr. Tamoran peered curiously at the princess, as if examining some new, unknown species of insect.

"Memories are another way of saying the past, Azula. You should know full well by now that dwelling on the past only serves to deny your mind the healing it requires. You can't let these memories continue haunting you, no matter how painful some of them may be." The good doctor sternly stated, not so much pleading with her patient as she was ordering her. Azula turned her head again to face her doctor once more as understanding slowly spread across her face. Dr. Tamoran continued, "I'm quite pleased with the progress you have made over these last eight months Azula, but I fear if you don't learn to let the past go and forgive yourself that you may never achieve the freedom and peace of mind that you deserve."

The hint of compassion was returning to the doctor's voice as she went on. "Everybody makes mistakes Azula, but what matters is how we choose to react when confronted with those mistakes. Will you learn from them and better yourself, or dwell on what might have been had you avoided those mistakes?" She paused, silently gauging the young woman's reaction to her words. "Nobody can change the past Azula, but we can all learn from it. The most important thing you need to do right now is forgive yourself and move towards a better tomorrow." She finished, allowing her words time to sink in. Azula bowed her head, clenching her eyes shut even as water managed to squeeze itself out from behind her lids, streaking down to the corners of her mouth which had been raised up in a curl of disgust, and her whole face soon twisted into a mixture of pain, anger, and sorrow.

"I'm not sure if I know how." Was all Azula could manage to choke out. It was a pitiful, mocking croak of what her voice had once been, reflecting perfectly the broken mockery of the person she had once been. What she received in return was a look of disappointment and pity.

"You've paid for your mistakes Azula, you truly have. However, I cannot bring myself to recommend release until I'm certain you are cured of your mental afflictions." Dr. Tamoran stated sympathetically, and seeing the despair and anger warring across her patient's face she added, "All you have to do is forgive yourself dear. Let all of your anger, guilt, and shame go. You have to be honest-"

"Honesty! You want me to be honest? Fine, I'll tell you the truth!" Azula snapped at her doctor, who was taken aback by the sudden burst of fury. A pair of guards appeared quickly at the door, but Dr. Tamoran motioned for them to stay put. She wanted to hear what the princess had to say. "I have nothing left to go back to! You hear me! Nothing! Whatever you think I have waiting for me out there, you're wrong! Whatever you think forgiving myself is going to fix, it won't!" The anger had a bittersweet pleasure to it. It had been month's since Azula had felt anything, and now this burning inside of her had a pleasant familiarity to it. Dr. Tamoran didn't flinch, but instead sat there, calm and collected. If she had cracked every time a patient snapped at her she wouldn't have made it very far in this career.

"What about your friends Azula?" The doctor demanded in a tone similar to a mother who was fed up with a child's misbehaving.

"**WHAT FRIENDS**!" Azula screamed hard enough to shatter ice. The guards fidgeted in the doorway, looking more like they were preparing to run away than run in to restrain the prisoner. "The ones that betrayed me or the ones that visit me in this fucking hellhole!" Dr. Tamoran scoffed at her words, interested that her patient could still make use of sarcasm in all that rage.

"And Ty Lee?" She asked calmly, not allowing Azula's terrible fury to throw her off balance. The furious young woman stiffened, an empty feeling growing in her stomach. She had to calm herself, knowing if she didn't she would lose control of herself and do something she would regret. Still, the raging fury inside of her was burning far more intensely now than before and she was trembling with anger underneath her pale red prison rags.

"What about her." The princess grumbled flatly. Despite whatever she may have been thinking, her words clearly showed no interest in talking about that particular subject. Dr. Tamoran, however, refused to leave it alone. She turned to signal the guards away, or at least out of view, knowing this conversation would go nowhere without privacy. They nodded and quietly removed themselves from sight, looking rather relieved. Once satisfied that they were alone again, the doctor turned to face her patient and continued.

"You cannot honestly expect me to believe you don't care about her Azula. That is a blatant lie and I will not tolerate such childish behavior!" Dr. Tamoran snapped brusquely, causing the princess to sit straight up, most likely a force of habit from all her years under strict rule in the Academy. "This Ty Lee has been involved in every single dream you have had since your incarceration, are you aware of this?" Azula gave a slight shrug, more or less agreeing with what the doctor said. "She obviously means a great deal to you, perhaps even more than you realize. You have to free yourself from this prison of guilt you have placed your mind in, if for nobody else, including yourself, then do it for her. Don't you think you owe her at least that much?" Once again sympathy returned to the good doctor's voice, though her tone was still very much authoritative, demanding an honest answer.

"I suppose you may be right, but it hardly matters anymore. It's not as if I'll have the chance to make it up to her now." Azula stated softly, her spirit crushed in defeat. "Even if I was allowed visitors, she would never want to see me." Tears replaced her anger as the pain of her loss solidified inside of her stomach.

"And what makes you think this?" Dr. Tamoran offered softly, reacting accordingly to her patient's emotional state.

"Please, Dr. Tamoran, after how I treated her all those years, why would she ever want to see me again?" The sadness was now explicitly expressed in Azula's words. She gave a small, depressed sigh before adding, "We didn't exactly leave each other on a positive note either." Dr. Tamoran recognized immediately what was happening. If she didn't do something quickly, she feared her patient may very well be consumed with self-doubt and depression, in all likelihood leading to suicide, or at the very least making it impossible for a full recovery to ever occur, which would leave the princess to spend the rest of her life in this lightless prison cell, a fate the doctor considered far worse than death itself.

"Azula, I believe that you can salvage your friendship, as well as free yourself from this 'hellhole' as you so eloquently put it. You have the power inside of you, but perhaps you just need the right person to help you find it." Dr. Tamoran implored as she shifted through a few more pages. The princess looked curiously at her, not quite sure what to make of that last sentence. "My reports indicate that it's been a full six months since the incident with you and the three guards. I can honestly say you've come a long way from then, and I'm going to recommend you be allowed visitors once a week, in between sessions." She paused to gauge the look of hope blossoming on Azula's face before continuing, "I believe spending time with old friends will help you tremendously in moving past this chapter of your life. What do you think?"

Azula blinked in disbelief. She hadn't seen anybody besides her doctor for the last 8 months, she wasn't even sure anyone would want to see her. Her brother Zuko surely wouldn't, and she had tried to kill her friend Mai, so she was probably out of the question. She had never quite seen eye to eye with her uncle, Iroh, but knowing his constantly positive outlook on life and unwavering love for his family, not to mention he too had been imprisoned for a short time before the war ended, it wouldn't exactly surprise her if he did show up. What about Ty Lee? Azula had never attacked Ty Lee, quite the other way around in fact, but she had also never exactly treated her like a friend, more like a tool.

"If that's your recommendation, then I'll trust your judgment. I can't promise anyone would want to visit me though." Azula confessed shyly. Still, she clung to a small bit of hope in the back of her mind. Ty Lee had always had a way of accepting everything Azula did to her while remaining happily by the princess' side. Maybe, just maybe, Ty Lee would come to see her, and everything would be alright. Hope. It wasn't a very familiar feeling to the princess, but she recognized it instantly all the same. It held a certain intangible pleasure to it.

"Well, we'll see." Dr. Tamoran gave Azula a reassuring smile, which the princess couldn't help but return. Hope was indeed a magical thing if it could make her genuinely smile despite the world she was trapped inside. A sudden clattering at the door caused Azula to jump slightly, but Dr. Tamoran turned her head calmly, likely knowing that it was coming. A guard stood at the door, beckoning the good doctor. "Very well, it would appear our time is up Azula. I hope you'll do some good thinking about what we've discussed over the next few days. I would like it very much to see you walk out of this prison." She stood, dusting herself off, and made her way towards the door. As she was about to exit, she turned one last time to say, "Always remember, there are a lot of people who would like to see you free of this place." Azula wasn't sure if she was tired or just hearing things, but the doctor's last sentence sounded almost sinister to her. She quickly waved the thought away, assuring herself it was just her head messing with her.

"Thank you Dr. Tamoran, I'll be looking forward to our next session." She exchanged farewell waves with her doctor, took another deep breath of the outside air, then watched the light shrink to an ever smaller sliver as the large iron door was swung shut, flooding her cell with it's grinding symphony before slamming shut with a reverberating bang. Weariness began to take the princess, and she soon found herself drifting off to another dream. This time, she hoped, there would be no flames, no pain, no suffering. Just the soothing calmness of sleep. One can hope, she told herself, a faint smile making it's way to the corners of her mouth. One can hope.

* * *

><p>"Alright men, I expect each and every one of you up bright and early for the rounds. Don't you go getting shitfaced on me, understood!" The captain yelled to his men as he stood in the doorway of the tavern. Their responding "Yes sir's!" were not what one might call synchronous, but that didn't bother their captain much. He was glad to see they were enjoying themselves. Farewell shouts and cheers followed him into the empty street, the joyful sounds of the bar fading behind him as he made his way to the barracks. The streets of the imperial city were darker than usual, but he knew the way all the same. As he walked alone down that desolate street, he couldn't help but gaze up towards the night sky. There wasn't much to look at though, as heavy clouds blocked out the moonlight and most of the stars. Sighing, he couldn't help but think about the past. More than 8 months ago they had almost claimed victory in the war, though he and his men wouldn't have been there to see it. They weren't a part of the airship fleet, instead they had roamed the sea's on their grand battleship, hunting down any and all naval threats to the Fire Nation.<p>

_Thirty-seven years_, he thought to himself. Thirty-seven years of loyal service to the Fire Lord, and this is how he was repaid? He and his men cursed to patrol the streets of the imperial city, day in and day out. It was such a dull, inglorious job. Sure, there were the occasional pickpockets and vandals to deal with, but nothing deserving of his men. They had fought dozens of battles against stalwart adversaries, each one a hard earned victory. He had watched some of the best soldiers in the Fire Nation die noble deaths for their lord and land, and this was how they honored their memories?

The captain let out a heavy sigh, knowing it was pointless to keep thinking about these things. The war was over, the avatar was once again protecting peace around the world, and they were doomed to patrol the streets of the imperial city, day after day, until old age took them. No more battles, no more glorious charges, only petty criminals and other offenders who would never be worthy opponents. He peered down a dark alley to his right, just as a large shadow appeared to suddenly move across it. The captain stopped, unsure whether his mind was playing tricks on him, or if somebody was actually there. It was far too dark to be certain, and in his inebriated state he didn't want to risk tossing a fireball at a civilian.

Instead, he decided to call out, "Hello? Is there someone out there?" He listened as his words echoed down the street, fading off into the night. He decided to try again, "This is Captain Dieronimus of the Imperial City patrol, if there is someone there identify yourself now or risk severe burns!" His words carried an air of authority with them, but the shadows did not heed them. He listened carefully, focusing all of his attention on the alleyway and it's shadows. He could just barely make out a straining, stretching noise, like that of a... _A bowstring!_ The thought hit him like an avalanche, and he wasted no time in igniting a large ball of flame in his hand. Unfortunately, it only served to light himself up as a target.

The twang of release was followed by a high pitched whistling, and a sudden piercing pain in the captain's chest. He fell back against the wall of a nearby house from the impact of the arrow. Luckily his armor stopped it from penetrating deep enough to strike any vitals. He reignited his hand and tossed a dazzling fireball blindly into the alley. In the light of the impact he saw for a brief second a dark, cloaked figure standing silently, bow lowered at it's side.

The captain looked upon his assailant disbelievingly. They weren't reaching for another arrow, nor charging with a blade in hand? They didn't truly believe that one arrow would finish him, a combat hardened veteran? The captain let out a grunting laugh, deciding if his opponent wasn't going to try and finish him off, he would just have to finish the bastard himself. He pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against, but as he did a sudden burning pain began in his chest, as if the arrow were on fire. That was preposterous though, he had seen the arrow plainly and there had been no flames on it. He growled through the pain, intent on watching this son of a bitch burn to ashes in his fist. The captain tried to inhale deeply, but instead found that he could draw no breath, the burning sensation now tormenting his chest. It was growing more and more torturous, becoming far too much to bear.

Captain Dieronimus threw his head back to let out a scream of pain, but before any air passed over his lips, a sudden bursting noise sped down the street, deafening in it's intensity. The captain, however, never heard this noise, as it was the noise of the arrow in his chest bursting, shredding the entire upper half of his body and sending the bloody chunks of flesh hurling in every direction. Bits of bone smacked into nearby windows and brick walls with various _tic's_ and _tac's_ as the horrendous stench of burning hair and flesh wound it's way up and down the street. The captain's legs collapsed into a small pile of smoldering and paste like flesh, the steam hissing as it rose up into the night air.

The cloaked figure stepped forward now, satisfied that nobody had been alerted by the little scuffle. As he came upon the dark pile of shredded flesh and shattered bone that was once Captain Dieronimus he stopped, and produced from his sleeve a large brush. He dipped it in the largest puddle of blood he could find, and proceeded to trace out letters on the wall that the captain had leaned against a few moments earlier. Once satisfied that they were legible enough, he stepped back to admire his work for a moment. As he did, he heard a dull, wet thud a few yards to his right. He turned his head to see what appeared to be a ball lying there in the street. A hairy ball. He knew it was no ball though, and that it was indeed the head of the late captain. He stopped to think for a moment, trying to remember how long it had been between the arrow bursting and the head landing. He gazed upwards, a malicious smirk upon his lips now.

"Sixty feet," He chuckled to himself, "That has to be a new record." Taking a final moment to enjoy his work, the strange man then turned and disappeared into the shadows of the alleyway he had emerged from, leaving only the macabre scene and three large letters on the wall. BoH.

**Author's note: _Bear with me here folks, as I transfer this story over from DA. I'm actually up to chapter 7 right now, more than half way through it actually, but I'm in the process of going back over and revising the previous chapters, as they no longer stack up in my opinion. In any case, rest assured that there's plenty more of this story on it's way, and soon hopefully. As always, thanks for taking the time to read it._**

**_Vahnati  
><em>**


	3. Whispers in the Dark

The sky was painted a brilliant sapphire and the sun emanated warmth and happiness down on little Kyoshee Island as Ty Lee practiced her flips and cartwheels. To the other warriors she appeared to be playing around more than training, but none of them wanted to object as they were all aware of how competent the seemingly harmless girl really was. Besides, with the war being a distant memory, they didn't feel the need to be as strict when it came to training as they had before, and in any case they were all extremely grateful to the little acrobat for showing them chi blocking techniques that effectively took away a bender's ability to command the elements. If Ty Lee wanted to do cartwheels during training time that was fine by them.

"Alright girls," Suki's voice came crisp and clear from their training dojo, "Let's call it a day. I wouldn't want to see a beautiful day like this go to waste." Synchronous cheers of joy arose from the group, all of them ecstatic to be free from the seemingly pointless repetition of day in, day out training. Ty Lee didn't seem to hear though, being much to preoccupied searching for little bug friends while walking about on her hands. After a few minutes she looked up to notice the other Kyoshee warriors heading off to change, and decided to make her way, hand over hand, in the same direction. Suddenly one of her hands discovered a loose rock, then there was an instant of disorientation and a blur of colors, and the next thing she knew she was lying on her back staring up at the beautiful blue sky.

She decided to lay there a moment, entranced by the serenity and warmth of the island around her. That's when she spotted a small dot in the sky towards the west, a bird of some kind she decided, but it was much too far for her to make out just what kind. She sat up to watch the feathery fellow make it's way majestically across the open sky, all the while wishing she too could soar amongst the clouds. _That would be the ultimate freedom_, she thought to herself with a loud sigh. The young woman allowed her mind to wander off, daydreaming of flight and soaring through the air, without a single care in the world, just her, her little bird friends, and the unending horizon.

She inhaled deeply, held it for a brief moment, then let out a long sigh of surrender. _Oh well, I guess I'll just have to stay down here on Kyoshee Island_,she decided, not at all disappointed though. Ty Lee loved Kyoshee Island, the other warriors, and, well, pretty much all of life itself. She looked up again to spot her feathery friend, only now it was much closer. She could just make out orange and yellow feathers, a lot like the messenger hawks of the Fire Nation she thought. Sure enough, as it flew ever closer, it did indeed turn out to be just that.

"That's awfully strange," She said to herself, a look of bewilderment spreading across her face, "I'm not sure I've ever seen a messenger hawk fly over Kyoshee Island." Ty Lee stood up, deciding she wanted to watch this bird more closely. As she did, she noticed the hawk start to dive. It wasn't flying over Kyoshee Island, it was flying _towards_ Kyoshee Island. Now that she thought about it, it looked a lot like it was flying right towards her. Excitement and anticipation rose inside of Ty Lee like a boiling pot of water, and she could barely contain herself. _A message for me! I wonder who it could be from?_

She stuck out her arm as the hawk neared, squealing with joy when it landed on there. She didn't waste any time at all, practically tearing the container right off the bird's back trying to get the parchment out of it. As soon as she had the note in hand, the hawk let out a cry and took off immediately in the direction it had come from. "Oh, goodbye friend, thanks for the letter!" Ty Lee cried after her new hawk friend, who deemed it acceptable to send out a cry of it's own in return. Now absolutely beaming and overwhelmed with joy, the girl unfolded the parchment, anxious to see what it said. She read:

_ Ty Lee of Kyoshee Island,_

_You have an appointment to visit inmate Azula at the Fire Nation Institute for Mental Rehabilitation this coming Saturday. Please do not be late, and refrain from bringing any weapons, food, drink, or any other items which do not meet with the Fire Nation prisoner visitation code, as stated in article 17 of the Fire Nation Code of Laws. Thank you in advance for your cooperation._

The letter was blown out of her hands by a sudden gust of wind, but she didn't seem to notice. Her jaw was hanging open as she processed what she had just read. _A visit with... Azula?_ The letter wasn't even signed. She was absolutely confounded. She hadn't scheduled any sort of appointment, hell she didn't even realize Azula was allowed visitors. Last she had heard, 6 months ago Azula had gone ballistic on a bunch of guards and ever since nobody has been allowed near her except for her doctor. Even in the 2 months prior to that incident, Ty Lee had never gone to visit Azula. She hadn't seen her ex-best friend for over 8 months now, ever since the fight at the Boiling Rock prison facility where Azula nearly killed Mai. She turned her head from side to side, looking around desperately, hoping somehow perhaps the trees might have answers to her questions, or maybe there was a group of people waiting to jump out and tell her it was a big practical joke. Nothing. Thinking about it for a moment, Ty Lee decided she had to find out what this was all about.

_Maybe she really has changed?_ Ever the upbeat one, she couldn't help but think the best of her old friend. She always had. It had broken the little acrobat's heart to end their friendship the way they did, but she just couldn't stand there and let Azula attack Mai. If she hadn't acted as quickly as she did, who knows what Azula would have done to her? Ty Lee started running, not exactly certain where she was heading, just knowing that wherever it was, she wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Her appointment was in 3 days, and the Fire Nation was pretty far away.

As she came over the top of a small hill, she noticed a strange ship anchored just off the western shore of the island, and there on the beach stood an even stranger man next to a smaller boat. He noticed her about the same time she noticed him, and he gave her a beckoning wave. _What the hell is going on!_ Ty Lee asked herself, at this point having no concept of anything that was happening. First a strange letter appears without warning, and now a boat she had never seen before was already waiting for her at Kyoshee Island? It was an eery feeling, almost as though somebody was spying on her. They knew where she was, who she was, and even what she looked like. _Well, I guess I had better not waste any time. At least this is convenient, even if it is a little strange... _She thought to herself as she made her way towards the water. As she neared the man, he bowed slightly before introducing himself, all the while holding a steady, discomforting smile upon his lips.

"Hello, miss Ty Lee. My name is Alfred, and I've been asked to bring you to the F.N.I.M.R. for an appointment scheduled this Saturday with an inmate by the name of Azula. We have less than three days to get there, I trust you're prepared to embark?" His accent was so bizarre to Ty Lee, which was especially strange considering how many places she had traveled to during the war. It was almost as if he were manufacturing his accent to hide his nationality. As she studied the man, she realized _everything_ about him was strange. He had a small white haired mustache that curled up towards his nostrils, a monocle covered one squinty eye, and he wore the goofiest hat Ty Lee had ever seen. It was like a black cylinder with a rim on the bottom of it. He looked like something out of a children's storybook. A bad one at that.

"Yes, I suppose I'm ready to go. Do I have time to go grab some-"

"That will be completely unnecessary miss, I assure you, we can provide everything you will need during the voyage. Shall we depart?" Alfred cut her off before even hearing what she wished to bring. _How can he be so sure when he doesn't even know what I was going to get? _Ty Lee thought about this whole situation for a moment, her trepidation growing more and more by the minute.

"Alright, I guess we can go now... Could I at least say goodbye to my-"

"That will be completely unnecessary miss, I assure you, you will see them again before long. Shall we depart?" This guy was really starting to creep Ty Lee out. She gave him a quick scowl before deciding that if he tried anything funny, she'd just paralyze him and toss him in the water. Not necessarily the most humane thing to do, but at the same time this guy didn't seem very human. In any case, she certainly wouldn't have any second thoughts about it.

"Fine, let's go." She replied flatly, her distaste for this Alfred clearly showing. His smile never wavered though, instead he offered his hand to help her in the boat, but after seeing she felt no need for this, he began to push the boat into the water. He jumped in once they were clear of the shore, and began paddling out towards the larger boat, some 200 yards away from the island. For being a small, elderly looking guy, he sure was strong. _Just another strange thing about this weird guy_, she decided. Ty Lee gave one last farewell look towards Kyoshee Island, her home for the last 8 months. She was going to miss Suki and the others, along with the daily tranquility of the island. Her sadness was soon replaced with excitement though. The anticipation of seeing Azula again was beginning to swell inside of her. She started running through her mind all the things she was going to say, not quite sure what to say first. It didn't take long for her to decide though. The first thing she was going to say to Azula, without a doubt, would be 'I'm sorry.'

Azula was awoken suddenly by the violent symphony of her cell door opening. Fear gripped her for a moment, the uncertainty of what was happening being almost too much for her to bear. She started having flashbacks to that terrible night which ended with her attacking a group of guards. The princess placed her hands in front of her eyes to shield them from the incoming light, deciding it was probably best not to close them completely, just in case. As the door opened fully, she saw the silhouette of a guard standing there.

"What are you-"

"You have a visitor." The guard cut her off gruffly, not sounding entirely pleased to have to open her cell door more than once in the same week.

"A visitor?" She repeated to herself, bewildered by the very idea. "But who.." The princess started, but her question was answered before she finished asking it. As the guard removed himself from the doorway, a slender girl with a long, intricate braid that fell past her midsection took his place. "Ty Lee..." Azula choked on those two little words as a tear streamed down her cheek. Could she be dreaming? No, there was no way, her dreams were always in bright, warm places, they never took place in this shithole. The angelic figure stepped cautiously into the cell, and Azula could now clearly see the timid face of her old friend, Ty Lee's soft pale blue eyes illuminating her face in the darkness of the prison cell. Azula jumped to her feet, disbelief still clutching her entire body. She wanted to say something, anything, but the knot in her throat made it impossible.

"Hi Azula." Ty Lee said softly and cautiously, uncertain of exactly what her ex-best friend might do next. As the timid girl took a few more slow, careful steps towards the female firebender, the door behind her was suddenly and violently slammed shut by the guards, and the unmistakable clank of the lock being thrown followed shortly after. It was now very, very dark, and the acrobat's mind began racing with terrible thoughts of what might happen to her. Azula's dark figure blended seamlessly into the shadows of the cell, and Ty Lee watched, wide eyed and terrified, as her old friend suddenly closed the distance between them in a frighteningly swift manner. Ty Lee let out a panicked yelp and threw her arms up in defense as she felt two arms wrap around her shoulders.

She stood there, frozen stiff, when she suddenly realized what was happening. Azula wasn't attacking her, wasn't trying to strangle the life out of her as she had feared the princess would. She was hugging her. There in the darkness, despite everything that had happened, despite nobody being there to protect the her from the fury of the firebender, Ty Lee found herself not in danger of being killed, but instead being embraced tenderly by her best friend. Ty Lee removed her arms from between them, and threw them instead around Azula, holding firmly onto the young woman as if for dear life. Neither one of them had any real concept of how long they had held each other, but after some time they decided to break apart and see each other's faces.

"I'm sorry-" They both started to say but were taken aback by the other's apology.

"Azula what are you sorry for? I attacked you remember!" Ty Lee said guiltily, the memory of it still stinging her heart. She had never felt as bad about anything she had ever done in her entire life as she did about hurting Azula.

"Ty Lee, don't be naive. You know I would have killed Mai if you hadn't intervened." Azula's broken silk voice was full of sorrow and regret. She looked into Ty Lee's eyes, and seeing them swelling with tears she added, "You saved us both that day." The princess gave her old friend an earnest smile, knowing that if Ty Lee started to cry she herself would never be able to hold her own tears back.

"But Azula, after that happened you..." The acrobat's words trailed off, as she wasn't exactly sure how to finish that sentence without upsetting her friend. "Well, you know, you sort of... fell apart?" She squeaked the words out, trying desperately not to upset the girl. Azula only laughed though, clearly amused by her friend's trepidation.

"Yes, I suppose I did take it a little hard at first, but being here has given me time to think about a lot of things, including you." She stopped, and seeing the puzzled but hopeful look on her friend's face she corrected herself, "Especially you. Ty Lee I..." Azula sighed audibly, struggling for the words she needed. " I feel awful about the way I treated you all those years. You were always a good friend to me, but I only ever treated you like dirt. You have nothing to apologize for, it was all my fault." The princess concluded sorrowfully, wishing more than anything she could take back all the years of pain that she had inflicted upon her friend.

"Wow Azula, I guess you really have changed. I never would have thought you'd be the one apologizing to me after all this time." Ty Lee said with a friendly smile. Azula's words had touched her with their sorrow and sincerity.

"Well some things never change," The princess began as she looked directly into her friend's eyes, determined to make sure Ty Lee understood what she was about to say. Azula took a deep breath, and decided the best way to say it was exactly as she meant it. "I still love you, Ty Lee."

"Wow Azula, I love you too!" Ty Lee squealed in that upbeat, high pitch of hers. She gave Azula another big hug, which the princess returned. Azula wasn't certain her friend had understood exactly what she was trying to tell her, but it didn't matter, she was happy all the same just being friends with Ty Lee again. "I thought I had lost you forever Azula, I was so sad when I heard what had happened. I'm really happy to see you're getting better." The sincerity in Ty Lee's voice sent a warm tingling sensation spreading about the firebender's cheeks. She hadn't realized just how much she actually meant to the girl before now.

"Well with you as my motivation Ty Lee, you'd be surprised what I can accomplish." Azula stated proudly, placing her hands on her hips, puffing her chest out and feeling a bit more like her old self. "My doctor says if I keep it up I might be out in a couple of months."

"That's great Azula! I'm so happy for you, I can't wait!" Ty Lee was absolutely ecstatic at the idea of having her best friend back.

"Me neither." Azula whispered into her friend's ear, her warm breath tickling Ty Lee's neck and causing a few loose, feathery strands of hair to dance about the nape of her neck.

It was only now that Ty Lee realized how much she really had missed her Azula. Even on the bad days, it always seemed to her as if the princess would still have the traces of a smile just for her. No matter how mad she was, Azula had never hurt Ty Lee, and so she had always clung to that thin strand of hope that maybe Azula really did care about her, that no matter how far under the surface it was buried, there was a loving, caring soul, and Ty Lee had always reached out to grasp it, if only for a moment, to cherish it's warmth. Now with Azula's shell completely shattered, Ty Lee was, for the first time in the duration of their friendship, able to grab on to that part of Azula, and she promised herself she would never let go of it, not for anything in the world. Ty Lee let the warm feeling flow throughout her entire body and, lunging forward to embrace her friend once again, she savored the mutual love that she felt flowing between them as a stream of joyous tears silently patted Azula's shoulder.

When they concluded their loving embrace for what must have been the half dozenth time, Ty Lee couldn't help but let her curiosity get the best of her.

"So I heard you attacked some guards a while back, Azula. What happened?" Her pale blue eyes grew larger and she cocked her head slightly, giving the princess a very questioning, if not adorable, look.

"It was a mistake, I'm... not entirely sure what happened." Azula replied, the uncertainty plain in her voice as she struggled with her fragmented memories. She clearly had no interest in discussing that particular subject, and it sounded to Ty Lee almost as if there was something her friend wasn't saying.

"Come on Azula, you know you can tell me!" The little acrobat pleaded, anxiously awaiting an honest response.

"I thought they were trying to kill me, alright!" Azula shouted harshly, annoyed with all of the incessant whining. Ty Lee was taken aback, her eyes ripe with fear, but very quickly their look changed to one of pity. It wasn't Azula's fault her mind had turned against her, and it wasn't fair for Ty Lee to remind her of it.

"I'm sorry, Azula. I didn't mean to upset you, I was just curious, that's all." She said quietly, disappointed in herself that after all this time she still didn't know when to stop pushing her friend. After just the briefest of hesitations, Azula gave a quick, deliberate sigh and looked towards her friend apologetically.

"It's okay Ty Lee, I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just a... painful memory, that's all." She explained, her words gentle and her apology sincere. Ty Lee returned her friend's gaze with a sheepish grin to let her know it was alright. "I thought I was getting better, but I guess my mind was still tricking me into believing things that weren't real. It's not your fault, in any case." Azula didn't like shouting at Ty Lee, but sometimes she just couldn't control her anger. Her friend just happened to be the one that was usually always there when it came out. "That was also six months ago, and Dr. Tamoran says I shouldn't dwell on the past."

"He's probably right you-"

"She, Ty Lee. Dr. Tamoran is a woman." Azula corrected her friend politely before allowing her to continue.

"Oh, sorry... She's probably right then." Ty Lee said a bit sheepishly, slightly embarrassed at her mistake.

"Why do you say that?" Azula asked curiously, to which her friend had to stop and think of how the best way to answer that without upsetting her might be.

"Well, if you think about it, you probably don't have many good memories to dwell on." Ty Lee offered earnestly. The princess shot her a sharp look, but after thinking about it for a moment, she bowed her head and smiled. After a few seconds she looked up at Ty Lee again, This time with a glint of kindness and reverence in her eyes.

"Not many, but some." Azula's words were sincere as she thought back to all those warm, peaceful summer days she had spent with Ty Lee, practicing their acrobatics, playing childhood games, and sometimes just lying on the grass, enjoying each other's company. Not many good memories, but there were some, and the ones that were were all very dear to her.

"Like what?" Ty Lee asked, interested to hear any happy memories her friend might have. The princess bit her lip lightly, unsure if she should respond honestly or not. She still wasn't sure if Ty Lee shared her feelings, and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin their reunion by putting her friend on the spot like that.

"Let's just say they weren't all bad." The princess answered, giving her friend a sheepish smile. As vague as that response was, Ty Lee was content with accepting it. She had already pushed Azula once, she didn't want to repeat that mistake.

"Well, hopefully you'll have a lot of good memories to look forward to once you're out of here." Ty Lee said joyfully, happy to offer some much needed hope to her friend.

"As long as I still have you Ty Lee, then I'm sure there will be." Azula's heartfelt response made the other young woman blush. After a few moments an awkward silence set in as both girls searched their thoughts for what to say next.

"Ty Lee-"

"Azula-"

Both girls stopped, caught off guard by the other's interruption, and exchanged embarrassed giggles before trying to continue with their thoughts.

"You go first, Ty." The princess conceded to her friend, happy to buy a little more time before saying those next words.

"No way, Azula, princess' first, you know the rules." Ty Lee replied fervently, remembering all too well the many times she had tried unsuccessfully to interrupt her friend in the past. For once, Ty Lee was happy to see the unofficial rule work in her favor, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. Azula sighed in defeat, already knowing that an argument with her old friend at this point would be futile.

"Ty Lee, I can't tell you how much it means to me that you came to visit. For the last eight months, being alone in this prison has been absolutely awful. It's been dark, cold, and lonely. Still, none of that can compare to the pain I felt..." She choked on her words as her eyes began to swell with tears. She struggled to force those next words out, "When I thought I had lost you." Azula gave her friend a pleading look, and it was almost as if her eyes were begging Ty Lee never to go, to never leave her ever again, that the pain would be too much for her heart to bear and her soul would tear into shreds if she ever lost her one more time. "Ty Lee, I-" Her next words were drowned out by the violent chorus of strained metal and shrieking hinges that heralded the cell door being opened. The pair of guards who had opened it quickly stepped to the side, and there behind them stood Alfred, his discomforting smile still the same as when Ty Lee had first seen him on the beach of Kyoshee Island.

"Apologies miss, but it appears your time is up. If you would kindly come with me, the ship is awaiting to return you to Kyoshee Island." His impeccable manners were as irritating as they were unsettling. Ty Lee cringed every time he spoke it seemed.

"Alright, I'm coming." She replied flatly, not at all excited about leaving so soon. The acrobat turned to face her friend once more, "Well, I guess it's time for me to go. I've really enjoyed seeing you again Azula. I promise to come see you again every week!" Her joyful tone returning once more, if only for her best friend's sake. Her promise forced a smile from Azula, as she knew that just the thought of seeing Ty Lee every week would be enough to keep her going.

"I'll be waiting for you, Ty Lee." Azula gave her friend one last farewell hug before reluctantly letting her turn and walk towards the door. As Ty Lee reached the corridor outside of the princess' cell, she gave Azula one final backwards glance, and Azula was almost certain she saw a tear fall. Alfred briskly rushed the acrobat onwards, clearly giving no attention to how she felt, and the guards wasted no time in pulling the door shut once more. "I love you..." Azula said quietly, wishing more than anything she could have finished what she was trying to say sooner. The only response was her own words echoing off of the door as it was sealed.

Ty Lee exited the prison and stepped back into the warm sunshine, but for some reason she felt lonelier than she had in the prison cell. Despite the vibrance and fresh air of the outside world, something about that cell had made her feel more complete, more content. _Something, or someone _she thought to herself. Only now did she realize that for the past 8 months something had been missing in her life, something very important to her. Seeing Azula again had stirred up feelings she didn't quite understand yet, but she acknowledged them nevertheless. As they walked towards the harbor, she gave one final look back at the prison. _One day, _she told herself,_ one day you'll be free, and we'll be together then_. (Optional final sentence, because I just couldn't resist) _Yeah, you know we'll have a good time then._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>_And Azula's in the cradle with a silver spoon, Ty Lee's gonna facepalm the man in the moon, when your comin' home girl I don't know when, but we'll be together then, yeah, you know we'll have a good time then! __Why? Because I FUCKING HAD TO! You just don't understand manic eccentricies if you don't get why..._

__

_Anyways, turns out chapter 3 was ready to go as well! So here it is, now if I could just finish up 4...  
><em>


	4. A Whole New World

Four months. Four months since Azula's last nightmare. More importantly, four months since Ty Lee had started visiting her. Every week, for one day, the upbeat young woman would bring joy and warmth to the princess' cold, dark cell, and it had helped the broken girl to climb out of the pit her mind had tossed her into. Though she couldn't see outside, Azula could feel that it was a beautiful day. Despite lying on a bed of straw, she couldn't remember the last time she had woken up feeling so well rested. She had begun keeping good track of the days, and knew today was another session with her doctor. She was looking forward to it.

Ever since the first visit with Ty Lee, Azula had started making incredible progress. She no longer felt afraid, forcing herself to kep her emotions locked away, and guilt was no longer corroding her soul. A large weight had been lifted, and it even shone in the princess' eyes, once again flashing vibrantly with the burning golden sharpness they had held before. On some days, usually the one's when Ty Lee visited, she could feel the familiar tingle of energy that told her she could still bend, but in the dark confines of her cell she didn't want to risk testing the theory. Straw had a way of burning very, very quickly after all.

She was feeling more like herself now than she ever had in the entire past year. _Almost_. Something was missing. Missing, but not missed. She wasn't angry anymore. She hadn't found any use in being angry for the last year, and she didn't like what it had done to her. For the first time since she was a child, Azula wasn't angry at anybody, or anything. Not even herself anymore it seemed. It felt good letting the anger go, leaving space for more positive emotions. She still felt the inner flame, but now it was fueled by new, exciting emotions, many she didn't understand but she embraced them nonetheless. For the first time in her entire life, she looked forward to seeing the new morning sun rise, feeling the warm embrace of a summer breeze, reveling in the sweet aroma of a field of fire lilies during spring. Azula was finally starting to feel happy. Now she wanted to see what it was like when taken all the way. She wanted true happiness, and nothing would stand in her way from it.

The growing clatter outside of her cell signaled the approach of the good doctor. Azula sat, silent and still, as the door was opened and Dr. Tamoran stepped inside. At this point leaving the door open had become standard procedure, and it even surprised the princess this time to watch as the guards returned down the corridor. She wasn't even considered a threat anymore. It was a soothing feeling to know that nobody was afraid of being hurt by her, albeit an unfamiliar one. For so long pain and fear were the only tools she had used to control the people around her. Everything was changing, Azula wasn't even certain what was real and what wasn't anymore, what was up and what was down. She was completely lost in the torrent of change that surrounded her, but the one thing she knew, was that wherever and whoever she was, she was starting to enjoy it.

"Good afternoon, Azula." The doctor greeted her merrily, the glint of ever present kindness especially bright in her eyes today.

"Hello Dr. Tamoran." Azula responded, her voice now fully restored with all of it's silken beauty. A smile crossed her face as she asked, "It's a beautiful day out, isn't it?" Her doctor was taken a bit by surprise at first, but remembering how strong of a Firebender her patient truly was she decided it shouldn't be that difficult for her to feel the sun outside.

"It is quite pleasant out, I assure you." Dr. Tamoran answered jovially. The doctor took her usual seat a few feet in front of the door. Azula noticed her clipboard was completely absent. Her doctor hadn't made very much use of it since her nightmares had stopped, but to leave it altogether? Something was off about her, but the princess decided she couldn't quite figure out what. With the clipboard seeing less and less use, they had spent many of the last few sessions simply talking about things that Azula wasn't sure even mattered. Only one thing really seemed to matter now, and as far as she was concerned, everything else could float away forever and she would never miss them, so long as she had that one thing. "I can see we're feeling particularly good today. Any specific reason?"

"I guess I'm just letting the sun shine in." Azula replied softly, a smile crossing her lips. It almost seemed as if she was fighting off the urge to laugh, something Dr. Tamoran was certain she had never seen the girl do before.

"I think it's been far too long since you've seen the sunshine, don't you?" The doctor's words were confusing, turning the princess' smile as she didn't know quite how to respond. "I believe we should take a walk outside." Dr. Tamoran said briskly, standing up and dusting herself off. Azula only blinked in confusion though. _Outside?_She hadn't been allowed outside of this cell for the last year, now she was being asked to just walk out of this prison? Her doctor offered a hand up, as if to say 'are you coming'? She refused the hand, instead slowly getting up on her own. The joints in her knees cracked, but otherwise she didn't have much trouble. She had been making a habit of walking about her cell as much as she could, but she hadn't expected she would be needing the practice so soon.

"You'll have to lead the way out, Dr. Tamoran. I have no idea where I'm going." Azula couldn't help but laugh lightly at herself. She realized just how hopeless any chance of escape was. The entire prison may as well have been a brick and iron labyrinth to her. Her doctor turned, and as she walked out into the corridor beyond Azula's cell she turned to watch the princess, walking step by step at a nearly crawling pace, making her way for the first time in a year outside of that horrible prison cell. The torchlight was blinding and relentless out in the hallway. Azula cringed as she looked down the walls outside of her cell and found them covered every 10 feet with another torch, each burning just as vibrantly and steady as the last. She turned to look into her cell, and seeing it from the outside made it look so much smaller, so insignificant. Inside that tiny, lightless room had been the entire world to her for the last year. At times it even felt as if there was nothing else. Now as she looked into her cell from the vast, illuminated expanse of the hallway it seemed so pathetic to her, like a tiny, neglected storage room that nobody saw fit to store anything that wasn't broken into.

Azula sighed loudly, remembering that they were only going outside for a couple hours, and then once more this small, dark room would be waiting for her. She decided it was best not to waste any time, and so turned to follow Dr. Tamoran down the corridor. This particular end of the prison seemed very seldom used, and even less maintained. Cobwebs hung thick in almost every corner of every wall. The layer of dust covering the floor was like the thin layer left after the season's first snowfall, only instead of light, clean, fluffy snow it was bitter, air clogging particles of dirt. After a while they were clear of the musty old corridor, and standing at the bottom of a spiraling stone staircase. Azula found it impossible to judge how far up the stairs went. She'd just have to start climbing and find out.

The stairs went on for what felt like eternity. Constantly stepping up, only to find the same wall you've been passing by yet again. Always it turned up and to the left, yet never was there anything behind the turn, just another step. The wall began turning faintly lighter as they went, and soon without warning there was an opening in the wall, flooding with light from the room beyond. They stepped into a large room that must have held over 200 torches all around it's walls. The walls themselves went up fairly high, only to stop at the dark stone ceiling that hung high overhead. Adorning the center of every wall was a large, imposing tapestry of black with gold trim and a red Fire Nation flame insignia.

A pair of guards stood at the front entrance to the room whilst an officer sat behind a desk at the opposite wall. The stairwell the pair had ascended placed them directly to the officer's right. Azula studied all the doors in this room, and seeing the signs realized they all must have gone to different levels of the prison. She gave a look back to see what sign had been used to distinguish her. **Solitary**. The word stood eerily alone above the ominous archway that lead back to the dizzying stairwell and her dark cell. She decided that had been the best word to describe herself for the longest time now, but Azula was ready for that to change.

"I trust all of the paperwork has been taken care of like I asked?" Dr. Tamoran asked pointedly as they approached the man sitting behind the desk. He looked up at the two and forced an awkward smile, clearly not too excited about what was happening.

"Of course, ma'am, just signing the last one now." He gathered the papers together and neatly handed them to the good doctor. She looked them over briefly before sliding them into her handbag.

"Thank you, captain. We'll be on our way now." She gave Azula a quick nod and the two of them headed in the direction of the pair of guards by the large door at the front of the room. The guards looked to the captain for confirmation, and after he gave them the signal to proceed, they went about opening the large wooden door for Azula and her doctor to step through. If the last room had been large, then this next one was surely a cavern to them. The entrance of the building was more alike to the entrance of a castle or mansion than that of any prison.

Azula gaped in astonishment at all of the color and warmth, the plants placed about, hanging from the ceiling in certain places. There were easily 500 torches lighting this room, illuminating it so thoroughly that scarcely a mouse could find shadows to scurry about in. The magnificent crimson carpet embroidered with gold ran the entire length of the room, from the main entrance to the door they had just passed through, and all about the chamber similar flags and tapestries hung, depicting the grand flame of the Fire Nation somewhat like those in the previous room, only these had been done with skillfully laced golden lines and rich, exotic fabrics. It was all very brilliant and beautiful, but it was also a terrible lie. Anybody walking through this room for the first time certainly wouldn't believe that this same building also held dark, torturous prison cells hundreds of feet below the surface.

"Azula," They stopped as they approached the door at the end of the carpet. "I think you may wish to shield your eyes. You were right after all, it is a beautiful day outside." The young woman gave her doctor a smile in response, and stood ready to take on whatever was waiting for her out there. Dr. Tamoran reached out for the intricate, iron handle, and with a hard tug pulled the door swinging open. A blinding white flash burned the princess' eyes as sunlight painted half of her body in it's warm and dazzling brilliance. Her eye's adjusted eventually, and as they did she opened them wide, her face becoming frozen in astonishment. The view was breathtaking out here. She wasn't even sure where 'here' was, but what she did know is that it was isolated and cut off from most of the world. Nobody lived around here, no buildings clogged the skyline, no houses interrupted the view. It was a pure, untamed wilderness, and the prison was built on the perfect hill to see all of it. It was a beautiful day outside.

The vibrant emerald green of the leaves and grass alike washed over everything in view, radiating warmth under that bright summer sun. Small, sharply colored birds darted about the trees, and the water all around them sparkled with a coruscating depth, as if covered in a thin blanket of diamonds. The songs of the birds serenaded everything around her with a sweet melody, and somewhere off to her side, as near as it was far, she could hear the buzzing of some humble insect casually and happily going about it's day's work. Azula didn't even realize she was still standing in the doorway. She couldn't even feel the prison behind her anymore. Her eyes, wide and shimmering, were affixed to the world in front of her and all of it's wondrous colors and life. The princess' lower lip trembled from the rush and her eyes swelled with small, glistening liquid diamonds as she stared open mouthed all about her.

"Going out my dear.?.." Azula heard something, and although she wasn't sure what it was, she had the certain feeling it wanted her to move forward. She reluctantly obliged, cautiously moving her foot from the cold, hard stone she stood on, towards the soft, warm grass before her. Stepping onto the grass she unconsciously let slip a soft moan of delight from deep within while her eyes closed shut with bliss as she felt her foot sink ever so slightly into the soft, plush earth. Her other foot anxiously followed, not wanting to miss the incredibly comforting sensation that the grass afforded her. Maybe 3, maybe 7 more steps (She really didn't know, as it was all the same to her), and Azula found herself completely engulfed in sunshine, fresh air, and the warm radiance of summer's graceful embrace. She thought she felt a tear fall, but it may just as well have been a solitary drop of dew, clinging to the leaf of a tree for dear life, until it found another solitary soul, and finally decided to let go and fall free. Azula knew she would never have the words to describe what she saw and how she felt, but she would always remember the feeling.

Dr. Tamoran walked slowly towards the princess, not wanting to startle her in any way. She placed a hand softly on Azula's shoulder, and Azula reached up to touch it. The girl was desperate for something, anything, that could confirm this as being real to her. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply of the sweet, fresh air. _It has to be real._She told herself, certain that if this was a dream it would crush her utterly, breaking her beyond any hope of repair. Slowly the princess exhaled while her eyes opened ever so slightly. It was still bright. She looked down at her feet, brushing them gently through the emerald grass. It was still soft. Everything was still here, and at this Azula couldn't possibly contain her excitement anymore. To forget the beauty of the world, is a crime the mind should never have to commit. She turned to face her doctor, who stood there beaming with joy as a slight look of gratification crossed her face, as if to say 'I knew it would work.'

"It's a beautiful day out, isn't it Dr. Tamoran?" Azula asked, her silken voice flowing softly on the open air for the first time in an entire year. Her face was so incredibly relaxed, her features all softened with a kindness that most would never have recognized on the princess.

"Quite pleasant out, I assure you." Was her equally as gentle reply, returning her patient's grateful smile. "Azula, I'd like to speak with you about our session, if I may?" Azula's look slowly faded from overjoyed to bitterly disappointed as she remembered how limited this entire experience would be.

"Yes, I suppose you're right doctor." She replied regretfully, the pain of the last year along with the fear of returning to the darkness sinking into her words.

"I'm quite pleased with the progress you've made, Azula. When I first came to you, I saw a broken, distraught, and ultimately defeated little girl who was quite frankly mad. You had allowed your anger and hatred to overwhelm and control you, molding you and ultimately forcing you to act like some sort of monster." She noted the way her patient cringed at that particular word, 'monster,' before continuing. "But you are not a monster, my sweet girl. You are a beautiful, talented, courageous young woman who has endured many hardships already in your short life, and I've had the pleasure to watch as you've healed wonderfully over the course of this past year." The doctor's words offered some uplifting promise, bringing her patient back from her gloom.

"I know that I'm feeling a lot better, and I know that I have you to thank for that, Dr. Tamoran. I can't say how far I've got to go though..." Azula trailed off, the uncertainty of how much longer she would have to remain trapped in that cell overshadowing the momentary feelings of joy and gratitude.

"Nobody can, Azula. The best anyone, including myself, can do is to hope for the best. I believe there can be no full recovery in that prison cell, and that you have come as far as that oppressive place will ever allow. It is hereby my recommendation that you be released." She paused to see the tears swelling in Azula's eyes as disbelief immediately flooded her expression. "Immediately." Dr. Tamoran concluded, giving the young woman a proud look of satisfaction, knowing she had done everything she could to help her patient.

"Free..." Azula whispered to herself, unsure of what the word even meant. A whistle from somewhere overhead grabbed her attention. A small, blue bird with a red belly had landed on a branch some 20 feet above her and begun to sing. It entranced the princess in such a way that all the earth around her could have shattered and she would never have even noticed. The sweet melody was so hypnotic, so soothing... and yet it seemed so sad. This bird was so free, so vibrant, so full of life, and yet it's song sounded so tragic, so full of sorrow it nearly made the Firebender's heart burst. Azula didn't know that bird's story, what tragedy had befallen it, but she did understand it's pain. The small bird finished on a long, drawn out and tragic note, then cocked it's head to look down at the one who had listened to it for a brief moment before flying off briskly to a future unknown. She watched as it disappeared into the trees some 60 yards away. Whether she realized it or not, Azula would never forget that bird's song.

"So this is it then, I'm actually leaving this place." She said in awe, the weight of reality finally settling on her. As the princess spoke she never looked back to her doctor for confirmation, instead she only stared off into the open world around her.

"That's right, with these papers it is official my dear." Dr. Tamoran handed the small stack of papers she had received from the guard in Azula's direction. The princess walked forward and grabbed them gingerly, not entirely sure what they were but knowing they were important.

"So what now? Does anybody even know I'm leaving? What am I supposed to do swim-" Panic was suddenly taking her when the doctor cut her off.

"My dear, I'm sure if you just start walking you'll figure something out. It all starts with that first step." The good doctor proposed earnestly, offering some notion of guidance and hope.

"I guess I'll just start walking then." Azula replied confidently, giving her doctor a look of reverence and gratitude. "Thank you for everything Dr. Tamoran. I hope we'll see each other again."

"My dear it's been a pleasure watching you make such an astounding recovery. I'm certain we'll see each other again sometime in the future. You go on now, there's a whole new world waiting for you out there." The good doctor's promising words of praise reinvigorated the princess' confidence and spirit. Azula couldn't remember the last time she had felt this driven, focused, and determined. She was ready to face the world and take everything it threw at her. She gave her doctor a small farewell hug to show her gratitude, and then turning, she faced the bright new world in front of her, preparing herself for those first steps.

There was definitely nothing that could qualify as a road out here, or even a footpath for that matter. It didn't really matter though as the warm, soft grass made a much more accommodating walkway to her coarse, cold, dusty feet. As she started to walk she found it was slightly easier than she had anticipated. Her practice in the dark cell had now become apparently useful to her, as she was able to walk about in the outside world with relative ease. Azula stopped as she reached the edge of the summit of the large hill the prison was built upon. She turned back one last time and gave her doctor a wave farewell, and Dr. Tamoran responded with a happy nod. The princess then turned, inhaled deeply, and began making her way down the long slope as a silent 'Thank you' escaped her lips.

It wasn't until she came to the bottom of the hill that she realized she didn't even know where she was going. Azula found herself walking aimlessly, passing through the shadows of the trees that loomed thicker and thicker on each side. She didn't seem to care though. She was out walking through a peaceful world on a beautiful late summer day, breathing the sweet, fragrant air of the outside world. She was free. It didn't matter where she was going anymore than it mattered where she was. The light shining through the forest canopy gave everything around her a soothing emerald sheen. Brilliantly colored flowers blossomed in the small clearings amongst the trees. As Azula walked, admiring the flowers and their humble beauty, she noticed the forest clearing away to reveal a large, dazzling field beyond.

The princess stepped out of the trees and into a dream. Flowers of every imaginable color spread wildly and free around the emerald field, painting the entire landscape in an incredibly intricate, incomprehensibly beautiful mosaic for the heavens to adore. Thousands of brightly colored butterfly's and other harmless insects fluttered about the field lazily, completing their mindless tasks at a gentle pace. Sunlight danced in beams of radiance that bounced off of every flower petal, every single blade of grass, and even the trunks of the trees that framed the field, all with the gracious goal of bathing the entire field in it's warm, vibrant, dazzling light. Azula couldn't help but lose herself in this stunning new world, forgetting just about everything else that existed as she melted seamlessly into the landscape around her.

Azula looked around in wonder at everything, each sight more breathtaking than the last. Then she saw something brown pop out of the flowers in the distance. The princess blinked and it was gone again. After a moment she shrugged it off as a hallucination and continued making her way through the pathless field. There it was again, only now in a different spot. This time she was sure she saw it, and decided to make her way towards the strange brown creature in the flowers. It disappeared again, diving under the flowers just as it had before, and then after a short while it reappeared yet again, just a few feet away from where it had gone under. As the princess drew nearer, she noticed the round creature had a tail, a fairly long one as far as she could tell. It still didn't seem to notice Azula approaching it though, as it continued it's never ending diving and resurfacing among the flowers.

"Where did you go?" Azula froze in her tracks. It wasn't an animal, it was a person! One who's unmistakable voice almost caused the princess to cry when she heard it.

"Ty Lee, what are you doing?" Azula asked tiredly, seeing that her old friend hadn't changed a single bit and so still found it acceptable to play around with bugs in the grass. The small brown head stopped for just an instant, and then before the princess could even react Ty Lee had jumped up and spun around to face her.

"Azula!" The acrobat squealed as she raced forward to give her old friend a big hug. "They told me you were getting out today, I wanted to come get you. I guess I got a little... sidetracked?" Ty Lee blushed a little, slightly embarrassed that her childish ways were still so prevalent. The princess only laughed at her though, giving the acrobat a friendly smile before responding.

"Ty Lee, I wouldn't ever change a thing about you. I just hope you realize that." Azula said earnestly and lovingly, comforting her friend's insecurities. The acrobat didn't know what to say, so she decided just to give her friend another hug.

"Thanks Azula." She whispered in the princess' ear. It felt good to have somebody who just accepted you for everything you were. After a minute they ended their embrace, and for a second Azula was gazing longingly into her friend's big, soft blue eyes before she caught herself.

"So," The princess said quickly and nervously, "How are we planning to get back to civilization?" She asked prudently, clearly wishing to change the subject before the subject was brought up.

"Actually, I took a small airship to come get you. I figured it would be perfect for the two of us." Ty Lee responded gleefully, proud of herself for being so resourceful and independent. "I landed on the beach, just on the other side of these trees." She pointed to the side of the field opposite where Azula had entered.

"Well, we probably shouldn't waste any time. Lead the way, Ty Lee." Azula nudged her friend onwards, eager to leave this island behind her. Although the island itself was an incredibly beautiful place, that didn't change the fact that there was a terrible prison built underneath it, and Azula wanted to get as far away from it as fast as possible. Ty Lee felt a little sad that she couldn't enjoy the colorful field longer, but that feeling soon washed away as she realized she had gained something infinitely more valuable to her. She had her princess back, and this time she wouldn't let anything take her away. No matter what.

As they came to the edge of the field and stood in the shadow of the forest beyond, both girls gave a final farewell look back. Ty Lee sighed lightly, then turned to face the trees once more. As she did, she caught Azula's eye, and for the slightest moment she saw something she had never seen in the princess before. It was almost like there was some sort of longing, a hunger that clung desperately, fighting so hard to hold on but wanting with every ounce of it's being to let go. Ty Lee didn't know what to make of it, but she decided she'd respond anyways. In one swift, fluid motion she grabbed the princess' hand and held it softly in her own. Azula was caught completely off guard, unable to even move her hand before it was taken by the quick little acrobat. It was a pleasant surprise, and in any case Azula made no attempt to take her hand back, instead finding much more comfort in allowing herself to be lead forward by her friend's hand.

They made their way swiftly through the forest, hand in hand, following a path Azula couldn't discern herself. Ty Lee seemed quite certain of where they were going however, and the princess enjoyed the feeling of trusting somebody else to find the way. She had no idea how long they had been walking when suddenly the trees parted to reveal a golden, glimmering coast. The soft, coruscating, warm sand molded to fit her feet perfectly as she stepped onto the beach. Her eyes were entranced by the scintillating splendor of the ocean beyond. Gentle waves washed tirelessly over the sand, the soft _woosh_of the surf serenading the beach in it's soothing symphony.

"The airship is over there." Ty Lee pointed to the south, where a crimson zeppelin rested patiently on the peaceful beach. A large, black flame insignia displayed itself proudly on the side of the ship, clearly marking the airship as Fire Nation. It brought back quite a few memories for Azula, mostly bad ones. The countless expeditions she had undertaken in the name of conquest, the multiple searches she had executed in the search for the Avatar as well as her exiled brother and uncle. Even the final attack came back to her. They were supposed to have rained fire and destruction on the earth from their fleet of airships as Sozin's Comet blazed through the sky. Of course, those airships had been much, much larger and frightfully more menacing. These small ones were perfect for a few people to travel conveniently through the air, but they were laughably ineffective for any sort of massive air strike. Azula shrugged off the memories, determined not to let her past haunt her any longer.

"Looks like it's in great shape, but when did you learn to fly one?" The princess asked quizzically, remembering how terribly inept Ty Lee had been in the past when it came to such things. The acrobat had nearly crashed them into the side of a mountain on more than one occasion in the past, and at that memory the princess forced herself to stifle a laugh.

"I took some classes after my first visit with you four months ago. I thought it would be a nice surprise for you to be picked up with one." Ty Lee replied joyfully, proud of herself for her accomplishment.

"Well, it is a nice surprise, but the real surprise is that you managed not to crash into a mountain." Azula stated sarcastically. They both giggled lightly, although not entirely out of amusement from the princess' joke. Ty Lee was just happy to see that Azula could make a joke, regardless of what it was about. Azula was content just with having Ty Lee near, and hearing her laugh was simply a welcome bonus. Together the two walked laughing down the beach, still hand in hand as they headed towards the awaiting airship. They came at last to their ride, resting lazily in the sand. Slowly and reluctantly, they let each other's hands slip free so they could go about preparing the ship for take off. It may have been a while, but Azula still remembered the simple processes involved. A few knots was really all there was too it, aside from tossing some sandbags into the basket.

Ty Lee jumped nimbly into the basket after they were finished, then extended a hand to help Azula up. "Want to go for a ride?" She asked the princess sarcastically, a coy smile crossing her face. "I can show you the world." Azula blushed, then took her friend's hand, not necessarily because she needed the help up.

"Let's go see it." The princess replied eagerly. As long as she was with Ty Lee it didn't matter where they went or what there was to see.

"Care to do the honors?" Ty Lee pointed to the firing mechanism which would generate the hot air. Azula looked at it hesitantly, not entirely certain she was ready to resume firebending so soon. She sighed, knowing sooner or later she would have to do it, and raising her fist she inhaled deeply. That's when she realized she no longer had the anger to use as a catalyst. The ignition source she had relied upon her entire life was gone, and now the once revered prodigy couldn't even produce a small, simple flame. "What's the matter, Azula?" Her friend asked sympathetically. Ty Lee never imagined Azula would forget firebending, not in one year not in a hundred years.

"Nothing!" The princess snapped, clearly frustrated and disappointed with herself. "I just.. have to get used to it again, that's all."

"Well maybe I can help." Ty Lee leaned in closely, until she was right behind Azula. The princess felt a hand lightly pressing on her shoulder and her friend's warm breath tickled her neck. A strange, uneasy feeling grew in Azula's stomach and her heart began pounding hard, then all of the sudden a massive blast of blue flames exploded from her fist. Ty Lee squealed as she jumped back, completely taken by surprise. The princess jumped slightly herself, totally dumbfounded by what had just happened. After a moment she turned to look at her friend, and the epiphany struck as she did. Azula had found a new catalyst, a new, more powerful emotion to fuel her fire.

"Uh, Azula? Maybe you should do something about that?" Ty Lee proposed worriedly, pointing a shaky finger above the princess' head. Azula turned quickly to see flames spreading. She cursed to herself, trying to think quick and clearly but having way too much floating around her head for it to be possible. Instinct took over though, and she quickly and efficiently willed the flames to extinguish themselves. Small plumes of smoke rose from the balloon, but aside from a few charred spots the ship was fine.

"Well that was odd." Azula stated with a laugh, trying very hard to avoid her feelings. It was no easy task, especially with Ty Lee right there, but the princess managed to fight them away. For now anyways.

"Looks like someone's getting a little rusty." Ty Lee chuckled, poking fun at her friend's imperfection. Azula clearly didn't look entertained however, and in an attempt to escape the death glare she was beginning to receive Ty Lee hastily added, "Well at least you still got it! I mean, with a little practice you'll be just as good as before!" Her hopeful words met only with a continuing scowl, and so she slunk back and decided it best not to say anything else. It hadn't been her words that upset the princess though, instead it was Azula's own feelings that were doing that. _Still got it..._She thought to herself. It wasn't true though, and she knew it deep down that her bending would never be the same. Whatever she 'had' back then was gone now, and in it's place was something new, something different. Azula didn't understand it all quite yet, but there was one thing she was certain of as she looked up at the scorched balloon and remembered the blast she had just produced. The raw power was undeniable.

"Yeah, practice." The princess' hazy words trailed off along with her gaze, the jumble of confusing thoughts clouding her head. "That's what I need." She finished, returning her attention to her friend. Azula's words were far from convincing though.

"Why not work on getting us out of here for starters, and we'll see where it goes from there." Ty Lee's cheery demeanor returned as she encouraged her friend on. The princess breathed deep as determination flowed throughout her. She wasn't about to let one small failure defeat her, and with that in mind she concentrated the energy inside of her to ignite a small, steady burning flame in the palm of her hand. Breathing, she increased the intensity of the flame until it was burning a brilliant sapphire hue, then raised her hand to the opening in the balloon. As the hot air flowed up, the sagging, wrinkled sides of the zeppelin began stiffening and smoothing themselves out.

The airship jolted up out of the sand and slowly began lofting it's way to the clouds, while a soothing cool breeze sent them towards the endless expanse of shimmering blue water that lay before them. As they reached a decent altitude Azula gave the fire a rest, satisfied there was enough hot air now in the balloon to last a good while.

"Good job Azula. I guess there's some things you just never forget." Ty Lee said elatedly, giving her friend a sincere smile. The princess couldn't help but grin herself, partially because of how infectious Ty Lee's smile's were as well as from a sense of pride and accomplishment. Not only had she survived that terrible prison, but she had also regained both her sanity and, more importantly, her dearest friend in the entire world. Azula also still had her fire, that very thing which had defined her entire existence for as long as she could remember. That very thing which had caused her hunger for power, and ultimately her demise. She promised herself she would never let it control her again. _This time,_ she told herself, _I'll finally control it_. That wasn't good enough she realized, wasn't good enough because the fire wasn't the problem. _This time, I'll finally control myself_.

"They didn't call me a prodigy for nothing." Azula gloated, giving her friend a wink. "So how far is home from here?"

"Well it took me about five days, but who knows, maybe you'll get a lucky wind." Ty Lee replied. "But what's the rush Azula, wouldn't it be nice to take it slow, see the sights, enjoy the free air? Open your eyes, and I think you'll find there's a lot of beauty out there." She offered lightheartedly.

"You're absolutely right Ty Lee." Azula stated ardently. She wasn't looking at the outside world though. "It certainly is beautiful." They both stepped to the bow of the airship, and together they gazed upon the world sprawling out before them. The cool ocean breeze caused some of the princess' long black hair to sway freely in her wake. With twin smiles of contentment, they peacefully floated west, chasing the setting sun.

* * *

><p>Footsteps echoed down the dark corridor, reverberating off of the brick walls and heralding the passage of a tall, cloaked figure. The few sparsely placed torches were barely adequate lighting, their faint glow casting long, forlorn shadows down the empty chasm. The corridor gave way to a small, equally as dim chamber where upon a small throne sat another hooded man, his cloak nearly identical save one small medallion pinned to his chest. The insignia engraved on the medallion was that of a raven digging it's talons into the neck of a dragon. As the first man entered the chamber, he raised his right hand to show it was empty, then proceeded to approach the man sitting upon the throne.<p>

"I bring news, Great Brother." He stated calm and quietly. The sitting man stirred, anxiously awaiting the information. "The princess is free." A greedy smile grew underneath the hood of the man on the throne.

"Then it is time. I'll have the word sent out to our brothers and sisters across the three nations. Proceed exactly as planned, I've waited a long time for this and I will not tolerate any failures." His deep, regal voice was stern and smooth as he gave his orders.

"Of course, Great Brother. I will see it done." The first man replied obediently, bowing his head slightly. "Is there anything else?"

"Actually, yes." The man shifted in his throne, and produced from within his cloak a rolled up parchment. "Be sure this gets to the acrobat." He said sinisterly as he handed the note over. The man bowed in acknowledgement as he accepted the paper, then turned and began briskly walking towards the exit, his feet falling silently on the bricks as he passed. As the man on the throne watched him disappear into the shadows of the corridor, he whispered to himself, "Have a safe trip home, princess. We wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen." Malicious chuckling echoed down the brick halls and seeped into the crevices of the dungeon, an ominous sound which even the torchlight seemed to shy away from.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Alright, I decided to put off the full scale revision of these chapters in favor of simply putting them up for you guys right now. I know there's a bit of enthusiasm for this story on here, and it isn't fair of me to continue to keep it off of this site simply because I'm not personally pleased with the chapters' quality. One of these days, hopefully I'll have the spare time to go back and finish up these revisions, but for now I have enough to deal with just getting the new chapters up. On a positive note, that means 6 more chapters for you guys right now. Enjoy ^^_


	5. Down From the Sky

A crescent moon hung lucidly in the night sky, it's pale radiance gently brushing the land with a shimmering coat of moonlight. Inside a small hut secluded amongst a cluster of trees, a few candles burned, giving off a modest glow through a small window. A young woman was standing in the doorway, enjoying the serenity of the moonlit wilderness. She had dark brown hair that fell just short of her shoulders, and covered the majority of her face. Her faded blue robe shifted as a cool breeze slipped past her, causing the candles to flicker wildly for a brief moment before settling once again. Something about the breeze told her it was time to go inside, and so she did just that. With her index and thumb she snuffed the candles out, causing a sharp _hiss_ to break the night's silence. 

She took a seat in the darkness of her hut, seemingly awaiting something indiscernible to enter. After a few minutes passed, there was another gust of wind that entered through her window, sending the hair in front of her face out in either direction momentarily, before settling once again into a veil that shielded her pale blue eyes. She almost didn't notice the shadow that passed seamlessly through her window. Almost. 

"Hi Vzad." She greeted him calmly with a sweet, seraphic voice that flowed like a fresh spring stream down a clear grassy hill. For him, hearing her speak even just one word was a drug that he would do anything to get one more taste of. No journey was too far, obstacle too difficult, so long as that euphorically melodic voice was there at the end to reward him. 

"Hello Nida, I've missed you." The cloaked man replied, the complete calm of his voice perfectly masking his emotions. It was a trick he had become exceptional at. 

"It has been a while, hasn't it." Nida mused, not so much asking as she already knew the answer. 

"Too long if you ask me." Vzad replied with an air of amusement as the memories flooded in. 

"So that begs the question, what brings you here now?" She asked curiously. He never showed up just for a social call. There was always a reason, and Nida knew it. She just didn't know what it was this time. 

"We have a job to do, dear Nida." He stated plainly, not exactly trying to hide the reason for his visit, while at the same time still being his usual vague self. She shook her head slowly, her hair swaying back and forth in front of her face as a smirk crossed her lips. 

"I already told you Vzad, I left that part of my life behind me." Nida said with a fearful respite, the memories beginning to flash before her eyes. All of the pain, the horror, and the death were right there in her mind again, ceaselessly tormenting her until... No, she wasn't going through any of that again. "I just can't do it again Vzad, I'm sorry." 

"I know, you hate what we do. What we did. You know I wouldn't ask you if it weren't important, and if we didn't need you." Vzad pleaded sympathetically. 

"I'm sorry-" 

"It's Princess Azula." Vzad cut her off before she could even start. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Nida's eye twitch underneath that umber hair. She remained still and silent though, despite whatever thoughts may have been racing in her head. Vzad decided to continue, "This one's dangerous, we need the three of us just in case. You know how important this is." 

"One last run... Then I can finally rest peacefully." Nida gave her old comrade a mischievous smile. "I'll get my things." 

"That's my girl." Vzad said proudly, a smirk of his own visible underneath his heavy black cloak's hood. An unsettling breeze raced through the trees outside, causing an excited rustling of leaves before settling once more to a dead, silent night.

* * *

><p>Azula stood alone at the helm of the airship, guiding it calmly over the ocean. They had decided it would be best to take shifts, as there wasn't anywhere to land for the night. After a very short lived debate over who would take first watch, Ty Lee quickly gave up and let Azula do it. The princess had spent countless hours sleeping in the prison cell, and now she was awake. She didn't want to miss any of the world around her, so sleep could wait. She looked behind her at the little acrobat, curled up and sleeping on the opposite side of the basket. A warm feeling of and contentment spread throughout Azula as she watched her friend sleeping peacefully. The princess didn't have a care or worry in the world. Up there in that small airship, she was with Ty Lee, and that's all that mattered. A smile crossed her lips as the thought ran by. <p>

Azula turned again, and looking up at the stars she felt a familiar comfort. She'd always enjoyed nights like these, when the sky was crisp and clear and the stars shone fervently. The princess had spent countless similar nights on the bow of her battleship, watching the stars as they slowly made their way through the water. Azula loved the stars, always had really. They could never lie to her, lead her astray or betray her. They were always there, night after night, keeping her company even when she was alone. The sun may have been the greatest source of power to a firebender, but Azula knew that every star was it's own great torch in the sky. Each and every one of them, a massive ball of fire that singed the heavens, leaving their marks for all the universe to see. It was a humbling feeling, knowing that you weren't the most powerful thing in existence. You couldn't be expected to do everything perfectly. Azula could finally appreciate the benefits of weakness, she just wished she hadn't had to endure what she did to realize it. 

She continued to gaze up at the glinting diamonds in the sky, and as she did so a sudden gust of wind came up from behind them. It passed by as quickly as it had come, leaving a slight feeling of uneasiness in the princess' stomach. What could be so urgent that the wind saw fit to race through such a peaceful night? The feeling slowly passed, but never quite went away completely. Ty Lee groaned and began fidgeting in her sleep, the noise commanding Azula's attention immediately. The sleeping acrobat didn't seem to care much for the wind either. 

"It's ok, I'm right here." Azula whispered almost imperceptibly to her friend, who almost immediately became settled and still once more. The princess smiled to herself, then turned to watch the stars once more. She cradled her head in her hands and propped her elbows on the side of the basket, then quietly stared up as the world passed by underneath. As she was staring at a small cluster she couldn't remember the name for, something strange happened that caught her eye. Right as she was looking at them, one of the brighter stars started to fall, leaving a burning luminescent trail of light in it's wake. Azula watched intently as the celestial body glided effortlessly downwards, like a lone tear shed by the heavens. It streaked the night sky with it's brilliance one final time before disappearing forever into darkness, removing itself from all existence. Where it went, the princess couldn't say. All she knew is that she would miss that star, it's lonely journey across the sky was something that resonated greatly with her. 

Daylight slowly reached across the sky behind them. The pinkish hue that heralded the sun's arrival was spreading out on the eastern horizon, somewhere on that infinite expanse of sea and sky. Azula breathed the morning air in, welcoming it's crisp coolness into her lungs as she greeted the coming day. She noticed a small island ahead of them in the distance, and decided that would be a good place to touch down and take a break. All night flying could be a real pain, and Azula wanted to stretch her legs somewhere dry. 

"Mmmmph..." Ty Lee was waking up at last as the sun finally poked it's rays out of hiding, the glinting ball of fire piercing the eastern sky with it's blinding glory. The acrobat sat up, stretching her arms out long and hard before opening her eyes. "Morning." Was all she felt like yawning out, still a bit groggy from her sleep. 

"Good morning, Ty Lee. Did you sleep well?" Azula asked casually. 

"About as well as you can in a wicker basket." Ty Lee responded sarcastically. She smiled away the remaining sleepiness as she looked up at Azula, standing quietly watching her best friend wake up on a beautiful late summer morning. As Ty Lee stared at her, she noticed how the sun's fresh rays bathed Azula's face in a radiantly ravishing glow, creating a sense of awe that glinted in the acrobat's eyes. Azula's eyes had a light of their own, shimmering with a golden, fiery brightness. Ty Lee blinked, suddenly realizing and trying to remember how long she was staring. Her friend raised an eyebrow, giving her a quizzical look. 

"What's the matter?" Azula asked not so much out of care but curiosity. 

"Oh sorry, nothing," Ty Lee raised an arm above and behind her head to scratch her shoulder blade. "I'm still waking up a bit I guess." She offered sheepishly, not even convincing herself. Azula gave her a humorous look, clearly enjoying her friend's embarrassment. 

"We'll be landing on that island and taking a break there." Azula said, pointing ahead of them to the small landmass sitting amidst a never ending canvas of water. She decided she could at least be kind enough to change the subject and relieve Ty Lee of the awkward embarrassment. 

"Sounds good. I'll take over after that then and then you can get some sleep." Ty Lee's cheeriness beginning to replenish. 

"We'll see." Was Azula's doubtful reply. She wasn't thinking about sleep, despite staying up through the night. Wasn't thinking too much about food either, despite not remembering when the last time she had eaten was. In fact, the only thing the princess could really think about was that _smell_. Her lip curled in disgust. She knew what the smell was. It was her. Azula desperately wanted to find somewhere to clean up. 

"Looks like we're almost there." Ty Lee stated cheerily after a while, really just trying to break the silence more than having any actual interest in the island. Azula nodded, but otherwise she was lost in her own head. She had only just yesterday woken up to this new reality, it was all so much so fast. She had to keep herself together, one way or another, if she wanted it to last. 

The sun climbed swiftly into the sky, and it was around 8 A.M. by Azula's count when they floated over the sandy beaches of the island. Gently the princess brought the airship down onto a flawlessly bright golden stretch of beach. The girls both shifted slightly as the basket jolted into the sand before coming to a complete rest. They both hopped out eagerly, not wanting to waste a minute of the warm, soft sand between their toes. They quickly tied the ship down and pulled out the sandbags, and when they were finished they stepped back to check their work over. Once satisfied, they turned and looked into the thin forest ahead of them. There were mostly palm trees dominating this island, and they were spread out rather far, leaving plenty of room to comfortably walk through the forest. 

As they walked, Ty Lee studied Azula's face curiously, trying to decipher what the princess could be thinking about. After a few moments she conceded to the fact that she would never be able to tell, a look of defeat on her face. 

"Ty Lee." Azula's voice grabbed the girl's attention. "I want to ask you about something." 

"Anything you want Azula." Ty Lee insisted. 

"Why did you attack me at the Boiling Rock?" She asked bluntly. The question struck Ty Lee hard, she certainly hadn't expected that. She had nearly forgotten about the ugly incident, but now it was right there in front of her face once again. 

"You were going to hurt Mai, I didn't want that to happen." Ty Lee offered meekly, wishing that would be the end of it. She knew better though, and sure enough Azula wasn't satisfied with the answer. 

"Was it because you really didn't want Mai to get hurt, or was there something else?" Azula's words sounded indifferent, as though she really didn't care one way or the other what the answer was. It was very troubling for Ty Lee, and all of the sudden she realized just how far out in the middle of nowhere they really were. Was Azula still as good as she used to be? It was highly improbable, but then again, this was the one person Ty Lee had seen with her own eyes accomplish the not only improbable, but impossible on more than a few occasions. 

"I suppose, I mean... I guess I didn't want to see you do anything you were going to regret... If that makes sense." Ty Lee said hopefully, desperately trying not to upset the princess. Azula however, instead of growing angry, began to look somewhat relieved, like she had found some reassurance in her friend's words. 

"I see. So you were trying to protect me then?" Azula asked, but Ty Lee could only give a confused look in response. Azula clarified, "From myself. You didn't want to see me hurt Mai because you thought I would feel bad about it later." She was practically speaking for Ty Lee at this point, just like the countless times before. Also just like before, the acrobat realized she was spot on. That was a skill Azula would definitely never lose. Ty Lee hadn't wanted to see either of her friends get hurt, but she really didn't want to see Azula do something she couldn't take back and feel guilty about it the rest of her life. It would eat at the princess' soul and that would break the acrobat's heart. 

"You're absolutely right Azula." She said with an awkward smile. "Anyways, I'm sorry." That's all there was to it. Ty Lee truly was sorry for what she had done, and she didn't think she would ever be able to fully forgive herself for hurting Azula. She cared too much about the princess to ever want to see her in pain. 

"It's alright Ty Lee. I'm not mad at you." Azula told her, as if sensing Ty Lee's distress and wanting to relieve the girl's conscious. Ty Lee gave the princess a heartfelt smile in thanks. They walked on silently, Azula with a look as if searching diligently for something she didn't know was there, and all the while Ty Lee stared mostly down at the ground, watching her feet and dealing with the lingering guilt. She couldn't say how long they had been walking, it all looked the same when you're watching the ground, but she could notice that Azula's feet had stopped moving. "Ty Lee." 

"What is it Azula?" The acrobat asked eagerly, hoping she could be useful in an attempt to help redeem herself. 

"Did you bring any spare clothes?" Azula asked plainly, as if it were just an ordinary question to ask somebody in the middle of a forested island. Ty Lee blinked, trying to make sense of what she had just been asked. 

"Well actually, there is one thing..." The acrobat started nervously, remembering what her one wardrobe change was. "I hope you like Kyoshee Warrior outfits?" She squeaked out pleadingly. Azula's eyes narrowed and twitched at the name. _Oh boy, here it comes..._ Ty Lee thought to herself, fear starting to grip her. 

"What the hell do you have that thing for!" Azula snapped, rage burning in her eyes. 

"Well, Azula, I'm one of them now. I joined after the war was over and, well, they really aren't that bad. Honest!" Ty Lee argued, her eyes begging for mercy. Azula couldn't bring herself to be mad at her friend, not right now anyways. Things were good for a change, so she would just have to resign herself to accepting the outfit. She had worn one before herself, so she knew it wouldn't be that bad. They were surprisingly comfortable uniforms, all things considered. 

"Fine, that will have to do." The princess huffed. Even if she was going to wear it, she wasn't going to pretend to be happy about it. "Could you please go get it. I'm going to take a bath." Azula stated, the idea of washing herself off being far more important than what she would have to wear. Ty Lee looked up, and finally she realized why they had stopped in the first place. Just beyond the trees she could see a clearing in the forest, and in that clearing was a small hot spring, bubbling peacefully while steam rose up in gentle plumes. Vibrantly colored wild flowers grew around the rim of the spring and sparingly about the clearing. It was a peacefully secluded spot from all the world, as if nature had saved it just for them to find. 

"Sure, I can run back and get it." Ty Lee stated jovially, always ready to do anything for Azula. She spun on her heels and began making her way back through the trees, towards the beach they had arrived on. Once satisfied the acrobat was out of view, Azula wasted no time in peeling the dirty old prison clothes off, the putrid slime and smell of them practically making her gag. She balled them up in her hand, and in an instant they burst into blue flames that incinerated them within moments. As the ashes blew out of her hand Azula thought to herself, _Good riddance._ There wouldn't be any more use for those old rags. 

The princess placed a foot cautiously in the pool, gauging just how hot it was. Deciding it was safe, she slowly dipped herself into the soothing hot water. As she settled up to her neck, she could feel not only the dirt being washed away, but also the pain, the misery, even the anger of the past months all dissipating into the hypnotic liquid. As the spring cleansed every pore on her body, Azula watched as dark brown rings of sediment and grime floated out and away from her, dissolving into the cloudy water. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and allowed herself to slip beneath the surface. Her long black hair flayed out in every direction, every last strand penetrated by the cleansing water. 

As Azula sat submerged in the hot spring, she saw in her mind all of the terrible things she had done. The innocent people killed mercilessly, peaceful villages burned to ash. She remembered all of the lies, and the deceitful ways she had manipulated people into becoming her pawns of destruction. Even Ty Lee was a victim of hers. That poor innocent girl would have never hurt a soul if the princess hadn't commanded that she do it. Fighting an enemy is one thing, but murdering innocent, defenseless people? Some things could never be undone, and now, all because she was trying to be a good friend to Azula, Ty Lee would have a mark on her soul that she could never be rid of. It wasn't right, she deserved better and Azula knew it. So she was going to give Ty Lee better. A better friend, a better princess. Ty Lee deserved a better Azula, and there wasn't anything that was going to stop her from getting it. 

Azula resurfaced a whole new person, leaving everything she hated about herself to dissolve, along with the dirt and grime, at the bottom of the spring. A new world, a new life, a new Azula. She opened her eyes, eager to greet her new life, but instead she was greeted by Ty Lee, standing there staring at her, wide eyed and speechless. She had been entranced by the beads of water tracing delicious curves as they gently glided down Azula's body. Ty Lee cleared her throat when she was caught, nervously trying to think of something to say. 

"Here's the clothes!" Ty Lee blurted out, unable to think of anything else to say as she stood there, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. She turned and started to leave when Azula stopped her. 

"Ty Lee, why are you so shy?" Azula asked, slightly amused at her friend's discomfort. "It's nothing you haven't seen before." It was the truth after all. Being best friends most of their lives, it wasn't all that uncommon for them to share a bath or be present in the room whilst the other was changing. "Why don't you join me, you look like you need to relax." 

"I don't know Azula, I mean I don't really need a bath, and that spring is so small, I don't want to invade your personal space and besides it just-" 

"Ty Lee." Azula interrupted her forcefully. The acrobat stopped and waited for her princess to continue. "Get in the spring." Argument over, and they both knew it. Ty Lee dropped the Kyoshee uniform on the ground, and proceeded to toss her own clothes in the pile. She lowered herself carefully into the water until she too was up to her neck. The seething hot water forced every muscle in the acrobat's body to relax instantly, and she let out a long sigh of comfort. She closed her eyes and let the warmth soak into her skin. 

Ty Lee had no idea how long they had sat there, soaking up the comfort in silence, when she finally decided to say something and break it. "So, uhm, Azula?" She asked cautiously, not quite sure if the princess was awake, as her head was tilted back and resting on the grassy rim of the hot spring while her eyes were closed. If she was taking a nap, Ty Lee had no intention of waking her up. 

"Yes?" Was the princess' distant reply. 

"I was just wondering, what are you going to do now? I mean, you're free and everything, but it's not like you can be Fire Lord anymore." Ty Lee winced at her own words after she heard them, and paused to judge Azula's reaction. When the princess didn't stir or show any hostility she continued cautiously, "So what are you going to do with your life?" Azula didn't respond right away, instead she shifted about in the water until finding a new, more comfortable position, all the while her head remained in a resting position in the grass and her eyes closed. Her mouth twisted as she thought, and it became quite apparent to Ty Lee that her friend didn't really have any idea about the future. 

"I guess I haven't thought about it yet." Azula finally replied in a neutral tone. She opened an eye to see Ty Lee's concerned expression, and decided she needed to say something more convincing to settle the acrobat's thoughts. "Maybe I'll let Uncle teach me how to make tea." She said with a laugh, knowing full well how much of a blatant lie that was. Ty Lee chuckled too, and decided that a joke was the best she was going to get at this point. They both settled back in and continued soaking in silence. 

It could have been an hour, it could have been three, Ty Lee didn't know for sure, didn't really care either. She suddenly had the strange feeling someone was watching her very, very closely. "Ty Lee..." Azula's voice was coming from right in front of her face. Ty Lee opened her eyes to see the princess leaning right into her, their faces so close they could feel each other's breath. Azula's dark golden eyes burned into Ty Lee's soft blue ones, a mesmerizing stare that left the acrobat almost paralyzed. 

"Azula what are you-" Ty Lee didn't get to finish her sentence, Azula was too forceful in her advance. She consumed the acrobat's lips with her own, grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the side of the hot spring. Ty Lee didn't resist her, couldn't resist her, not when every fiber of her being was screaming yes. Azula's lips were an inferno of lust, burning with an intensity matched only by their sensuality. Their tongues met in a luscious collision, a sweet explosion of wet passion, as Azula's hand began caressing her friend's shoulder firmly. She was anything but gentle, and yet somehow Ty Lee enjoyed that more. She liked the feeling of being lead, and succumbing to Azula's will. Whatever the princess did to her, Ty Lee was certain she would savor it with a fervent ecstasy. 

The princess' hand changed course, and began tracing a path down Ty Lee's side, a sharp nail faintly carving into the acrobat's skin a delectable feeling of pure euphoria. The euphoric sensation was only about to grow stronger though, as Azula's hand moved inward. Ty Lee felt the princess' touch about her mid-section, and the anticipation grew exponentially until she nearly climaxed before her lover even started. Azula teased her incessantly, continuing to move closer and closer and then at the last moment drawing her hand back, until Ty Lee nearly screamed in desperation. As if sensing this, the princess finally decided it was time to indulge in her love. Her finger moved down, homing in on her target until she found the delicately soft, warm center she was seeking. 

Ty Lee gasped upon entry, a high pitch, practically inaudible moan escaping her lips. To Azula the sound was fuel for her inferno of passion, a pleading sound that begged her for more. Ty Lee was so warm, so plush and ripe for the taking, and she was all Azula's. The princess knew it, and that knowledge only drove her lust further. The hot spring grew hotter around them, but all Ty Lee could feel was her lover inside of her, providing an insatiable, ravenous pleasure that built up faster and faster. The acrobat could feel herself about to explode, the sensation becoming too much to conceal, she tried to cry out to the heavens, but Azula's lips trapped her screams and made it impossible for even a single sound to escape, allowing only suppressed moans of desire to fill the air around them. 

Even the air around them seemed to grow warmer, the heat of their passion emanating outwards until it touched everything in sight with it's blazing fury. Ty Lee couldn't breath anymore, couldn't hear anything outside of her own stifled moans. She could taste only Azula's fiery lips, could feel only Azula's demanding touch. Azula was the only thing that existed to Ty Lee anymore, the summation of her entire being. Everything the princess was was all that Ty Lee could ever desire, would ever desire, so long as she drew breath. As the lustful euphoria built into an ever stronger pleasure, the world around her became brighter and brighter, until Ty Lee couldn't even see anymore. Everything was melting around her until only a blinding, burning white filled her vision. She was drawing nearer and nearer, until at last she could no longer contain the exploding orgasm inside of her and she screamed at the top of her lungs- 

"Ty Lee." The acrobat shot up out of the water, heart racing and almost out of breath. She turned around to see Azula standing above the hot spring, fully dressed in the Kyoshee uniform. She was giving Ty Lee a look of absolute bewilderment. The acrobat could only blink in response, still trying to readjust to reality. After a moment Azula decided she wasn't going to get a response, and so she went on, "Get dressed, it's time to go. We've been here long enough." The princess turned to allow her friend some privacy. 

"What happened?" Ty Lee asked dubiously, still in the grasp of utter confusion as to what was going on. 

"You were sleeping, I didn't want to bother you." Azula told her in that plain, emotionless tone she was so used to. "It looked like you were having a good dream." Ty Lee felt her face growing warmer as she heard this. 

"Yeah, I guess I was..." She said shyly, fighting back the sadness of it not being real. The acrobat climbed slowly out of the water and found her clothes folded neatly in a pile not far away. She chuckled to herself, _She always was a neat freak_. After Ty Lee was finished dressing they began the walk back to the beach and the awaiting airship. It was a quiet walk for a while, both girls moving forward in silence and deep in thought. Azula finally decided to break the silence. 

"So what was your dream about?" She asked plainly, not letting on how much she actually cared about the answer, if in fact she even did. Ty Lee choked briefly, recalling every detail in her mind. She blushed slightly as she answered. 

"I guess it was about you. Or rather, us. We were both in it anyways." The acrobat tried to explain nervously, not entirely sure how much of the truth she should share. Azula's eyebrow raised slightly for a brief instant, a twitch she had forgotten how to control in her year of isolation. 

"Was fire involved?" She asked, struggling to think of something logical to ask and cursing herself when that was the best she could do. Even Ty Lee felt the question was rather odd, but decided she had an opportunity to be somewhat honest that she couldn't waste. 

"Yeah, you could say that." Ty Lee replied dreamily, the memory of the feeling still fresh in her head. Azula didn't find any amusement in that response though. She figured any dream Ty Lee was having that involved her and fire couldn't have been a peaceful one. The princess turned her head aside, privately battling her thoughts. "What about you Azula?" Ty Lee's curious voice brought her back to reality. 

"What about me?" Azula replied, sounding somewhat annoyed. 

"Did you fall asleep too? I mean, you must have, we were in there an awfully long time and, well, I guess I couldn't resist the urge." Ty Lee responded somewhat perplexed and scratching the back of her neck. She couldn't even remember falling asleep, the hot spring had been so soothing and serene, almost... magical. 

"Yes, I suppose I did. I can't recall having any dreams though, if that's what you were going to ask." Azula stated unaffectedly. She may not have had any dreams, but the spring's magic worked on her nonetheless. It had been the most restful, peaceful sleep could remember. She had woken up feeling purified and reborn, all of her past sin cleansed away along with the thick layer of dirt and filth. 

"That's too bad Azula... my dream was so wonderful." Ty Lee said with pity, Both because her friend had missed out on having such a beautiful dream, and because it was precisely that; Just a dream. 

"If you had my dreams you wouldn't think so." Azula rebutted abashedly, the memory of some of the worst ones still resonating in her head. 

"Oh, I'm sorry Azula. I didn't know..." Ty Lee apologized, head hung in regret. The princess gave her a reassuring smile, letting her friend know it was all going to be okay. They walked the rest of the way in silence, enjoying the scenery of the island one last time before they had to leave. They reached the beach at what Azula figured to be around 5 P.M. It didn't take them long to prepare the zeppelin for lift off, and with a bright burst of flames courtesy of Azula, they were in the air in no time. 

The pair continued their journey westward, heading slowly and steadily towards the Imperial City, and their old homes. Their old lives really. Neither one of them had lived there since the end of the war. Azula was in prison the entire time and Ty Lee left to live on Kyoshee Island. They had left the city separately, but now they were returning to their old lives together, and together they knew they could face anything life threw at them. That's the way it had always been. Ever since they were kids, there hadn't really been anything that they couldn't handle when they worked together at it. Both Azula and Ty Lee were equally aware of the fact, and so they decided to themselves that that's the way it was going to be. They were going to be together, to the end, no matter what. 

They rode the next few hours mostly in silence, with the occasional interruption from Ty Lee being the only thing that broke it. As the sun began setting on another beautiful late summer day, Azula decided she had finally done enough and was ready to get some sleep. She curled up in the same spot Ty Lee had the previous night, and in no time she was off to a deep, unbreakable slumber. Ty Lee watched as the sun dove further and further into the horizon, a red aura stretching across the sky as the sun's last testament of the day. Her mind wandered as she watched the final light of the day fade away. She thought of the girls back on Kyoshee Island, and what they might be doing. As she thought about them, the uniforms came to mind and very quickly she found her thoughts leading to Azula. It didn't really seem to matter what the acrobat thought about anymore, it always seemed to lead right back to the same thing. She was starting to think she might be losing her mind as well. If she didn't do something about all the uncontrollable feelings, Ty Lee was certain she would lose it. 

The flapping of wings grabbed the girl's attention, and she turned to see a messenger hawk perched precariously on the edge of the basket. While it was still strange, Ty Lee was getting used to the feeling and it didn't take her by surprise all that much. She removed the parchment from it's case on the bird's back and with a sudden flurry of feathers the hawk took off, returning to the east where it must have come from. Ty Lee took a moment to gather herself before opening up the letter. As she read the letter, her heart sank in her chest and her expression became flush with pain and fear. She crushed the note in her hand and let it fall into the endless sea below, along with a few of her own tears. Ty Lee looked over at Azula, still sleeping like a rock. 

"No..." She told herself, refusing to accept it. "I won't do it. I can't." A long, row rumble rolled across the sky. A storm was blowing in the from the east, and by the looks of it it was moving pretty fast. In all likelihood they would be caught by it tomorrow if they didn't find somewhere to land soon. _Just perfect_, she thought to herself. A cold, unsettling wind swept by, chilling Ty Lee's bones and leaving an ever growing sense of dread to build in her.

* * *

><p>The sky above them was as black as it could get when the hawk returned. With instinctual certainty it landed on Vzad's arm and greeted him with a cry. He stroked it's head gently with a finger while praising it for accomplishing it's task. The bird acknowledged his compliments and then flew up to the bridge of the ship, finding it's regular perch with little difficulty. With it's task for the day completed, sleep soon followed for the little messenger hawk, but not for Vzad. The winds were blowing with a certain ferocity that night, and he knew it was only going to get worse. They followed quite a ways behind the airship, not wanting to risk being seen and not feeling the need to keep an eye on their target either. What was the point? He knew exactly where they were going anyways. <p>

Storm clouds gathered behind them, an ominous sign to most, but not him. He greeted the coming storm and all of it's fury. Vzad clung to that hopeful chance that this one just might be powerful enough to set him free from this tormented existence of conflict and bloodshed. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he that he failed to notice Nida's presence beside him. The petit girl had a way of sneaking up on people, but Vzad was a difficult person to catch off guard, even when he was lost in thought. 

"So," She announced herself to him, "What do the winds tell you?" Nida's sweet voice carried an undertone of curiosity, but really she was just trying to make conversation. Vzad bowed his head and let out a stifled laugh before looking up at her. 

"Does it even matter? I never listen to them anyways." It took a keen ear that was used to his way of talking, but Nida could hear the faint hint of regret in Vzad's words. 

"Well maybe you should." She offered indifferently, pretending she didn't care. 

"Perhaps you're right, but we both know it doesn't matter. I can't change anything." He replied, his calm voice never wavering. 

"You can try." She shot back, starting to get annoyed with his indifferent attitude. Nida noticed Vzad's minute frown underneath his hood. He was usually really good about keeping his emotions in check, but that girl had a way of getting under his skin. 

"To what end? What more could I possibly hope to accomplish? You know as well as I do that this is all I can ever be, cursed to walk this world alone and covered in the blood of others. I have nothing left to go back to." Vzad stated contemptuously, exhausted from his bleak existence and still angry at he didn't know who or what, but it was most likely himself more than anything else. 

"You don't have to be this, this monster! You can start a new life, Vzad! When will you finally just give this all up and try to live in peace?" Nida pleaded with him, already knowing it was futile but feeling she had to try nevertheless. 

"I can't start a new life until I finish this one." He didn't like it any more than she did, but there was no point in lying to himself. Vzad knew where his path led, and he knew the fate that was waiting at the end of it. Nida could tell the discussion was over, and once again she could do nothing but accept the reality and try to be there for him at the end. She was pretty sure she wouldn't make it that far, but she had to try. She gave out a defeated sigh before saying one final thing. 

"You can't keep ignoring who you are, Vzad. One day, it will all catch up to you. I just hope it's not too late then." Nida said sullenly, feeling remorse for her friend's plight. She didn't wait for his response, couldn't bring herself to. Instead she walked away swiftly, her soft, delicate feet padding quietly on the ship's deck. Vzad didn't turn to watch her leave, instead he just stared out at the night sky, pitch black and covered in clouds, and he thought to himself, _Who I am..._ His lip curled faintly in disgust. _This is who I am._ Another strong tailwind blew past him, but he could only manage to greet the coming storm in anticipation.


	6. Homeward Bound

Ty Lee piloted the airship forward through the night, fighting to stay ahead of the storm that lurked to the east. The dark, shapeless void of clouds was moving swiftly towards them, overshadowing the stars with a black emptiness that couldn't be penetrated. The little acrobat didn't like the idea of getting caught in the storm, but she didn't have a choice at this point. She would just have to keep going and try to reach land before they got swallowed up by the darkness. In the fading twilight Ty Lee could just make out the mainland on the horizon. If they could only reach it before that storm was upon them, then she wouldn't have to worry so much about it. As if to answer her, a deep, booming thunder rolled out from the the east. 

The hours passed quicker than Ty Lee may have realized, as night was giving way to the dawn while she fought off the urge to sleep, her head consistently falling limp for an instant before shooting straight back up in a never ending struggle to stay awake. Eye lids feeling as if they had small weights hanging on them. She had anxiously awaited the morning sun, but found only disappointment as the oppressive storm clouds enveloped all of the incoming light, trapping it before so much as a single ray could grace the earth's face. It was a black dawn. Ty Lee wasn't sure how much longer she could stay awake like this. 

A sudden and violent jolting of the airship woke Azula instantly as she bounced off of the basket's floor. It took her just a moment to gather her attention and realize what was going on. Ty Lee was desperately trying to keep control of the ship as a violent wind tossed them about. She clearly needed some help. A bolt of lightning seared across the sky just above them as the princess got up and grabbed the rope that was slowly fighting it's way out of Ty Lee's grip. It was only now that the acrobat turned to see her friend was awake. She gave Azula an exasperated smile, the strain of the night's tasks clearly showing on her face. 

"Morning." She yelled, making an effort to remain audible over the fierce wind. Despite the exhaustion from dealing with the storm, the girl could still manage to remain cheery for Azula. 

"How long have we been in this storm?" The princess shouted in response. 

"The wind started an hour ago, but it just got worse in the last few minutes." Ty Lee tried to say more but stopped as a thundering boom rolled across the sky. The girls both stared up at the sky, waiting for the ominous sound to die out before looking at each other again. 

"How far is land?" Azula asked attentively, suddenly very concerned with getting out of this storm before things got really bad. 

"Shouldn't be much further, but I can't see a thing so I'm not sure." Ty Lee admitted, somewhat disappointed in her own navigational skills. Azula, however, wasn't satisfied with such a vague response. She jumped to the head of the ship and, with a horizontal swing of her arm, she sent out an arc of brilliant blue fire into the sky, illuminating the landscape around them. Sure enough, there it was not 50 feet ahead of them, the cluttered forest shoreline of the mainland. Finding a spot to land wouldn't be easy, but at least they were across the water, so even if they crashed now it would only be onto dry land that they fell. 

"We're almost there Ty Lee, just a little further-" Her voice was drowned out by the deafening noise of the rain as it started pouring down relentlessly. It was now an all out fight to just reach land. Ty Lee clung onto the steering line while Azula sent out bursts of fire behind them, hoping to gain a little extra burst of acceleration. They battled the storm for what seemed like hours before the princess decided it was time to check on their progress. She sent out another arc of fire ahead of them just in time to see the large tree that was standing firmly in front of them. So close was it in fact that the princess' fire collided into it and sent up flames that began feeding wildly on the tree's bark. Ty Lee's eyes widened in fear as she saw the great flaming behemoth blocking their path. She turned back to Azula for direction, a pleading look in her eyes. 

"We're going to have to jump!" The princess yelled to her friend, who was almost certain she had heard wrong. 

"WHAT!" Ty Lee screamed in disbelief, unable to think seriously about jumping out of the doomed airship. Azula gave her a stern look to let her know that there was no joke in this. Ty Lee peered down into the perilously dark forest below, only now realizing that she couldn't even make out the ground through the thick blackness. 

"Ty Lee we have to jump, we'll never avoid that tree. Now take my hand and get ready." Azula shouted confidently, reassuring her friend that they would be alright. Ty Lee abandoned the steering rope and latched onto Azula's hand. The princess took a quick, deep breath, reassuring herself over and over again that they would be fine and she could do this. "Ready?" Ty Lee nodded in response, trusting whatever Azula was about to do. 

Together they leaped over the side of the basket, only moments before the airship smashed into the fiery side of the tree. It went up in flames instantly and burned with a roaring fire that lit up half of the forest. In the light Azula could see the trees below them quickly coming closer and closer while Ty Lee clung tighter and tighter to her side. It hadn't taken long for the acrobat to go from holding her hand to wrapping herself around the princess' side. Azula's concentration couldn't be broken though, not even as the lightning blazed across the sky and the thunder cracked around them. With a fierce determination the flames shot out from her feet and she eventually stabilized them as they descended into the forest. 

Once beneath the forest canopy, the difference was immediate. The wind was cut drastically, the rain didn't fall quite as hard on them, and even the thunder seemed slightly less intimidating. The two landed and Ty Lee reluctantly detached herself from Azula's side. They looked up to see the smoldering skeleton of their airship as it was blown apart and the ashes scattered into oblivion. 

"Thanks Azula, you really saved us there." Ty Lee thanked her graciously, but the princess didn't seem to notice. She was still preoccupied with getting out of the storm. They may have been out of the air but by no means were they safe if things took an ugly turn. 

"We need to find some shelter Ty Lee, there isn't much time. I don't want to be out here if this storm decides to get nasty." Azula said poignantly, making quite clear how important shelter was to her right now. So with a flame from the princess' hand to light the way, the pair began searching for anything that could qualify as a refuge from the torrential storm. They didn't expect to find any sort of actual house or dwelling, just something that could shield them from the fierce winds and belligerent rain. It didn't take long for them to realize how difficult their task was going to be. Between the wind and the rain Azula couldn't keep a steady flame going for more than a minute at a time, and even with the light of her fire the pair could barely see anything outside of a 10 foot radius. The occasional burst of lightning would light up the forest around them for an instant, but it was hardly ever enough time to make anything out in the darkness. 

"Hey what's that over there?" Ty Lee pointed ahead of them to what must have been one of the largest trees in the entire forest. It's massive trunk stood in their path like a wall of bark that stretched up far beyond where the fire's light could reach. At the base of the tree there was an opening that lead into a hollowed out trunk. From the outside Azula could tell there was enough room for the both of them, but she had misgivings about taking shelter inside of a tree. A sudden violent gust of wind nearly pushed her into the tree, and that was all the convincing she needed. 

"It will have to do. I'll go first so we have some light." With that the princess squeezed herself through the narrow opening and into the surprisingly cozy tree trunk. She raised her hand high to let the light spread and to get an idea of how large the hollow was. What she discovered was astonishing, as it must have been at least 20 feet in diameter and the ceiling was high above her. Azula could safely light a fire without fear of burning the tree down from the inside, which had been her biggest issue with using the thing as shelter in the first place. Once satisfied that there was plenty of space for both a fire and the two of them, Azula beckoned to Ty Lee, who swiftly joined her friend inside the great tree. The small entrance crevice was hardly an obstacle worthy of her abilities. 

"See, it's perfect!" Ty Lee stated jovially, taking pride in finding the place. She marveled at the spacious interior, wide eyes alight in the warm glow of Azula's fire. 

"Actually, it is surprisingly comfortable for a tree. Good work Ty Lee." The princess' praise gave the little acrobat a swell of confidence as a beaming smile spread across her face. 

"Thanks Azula, I always have had good night vision you know." Ty Lee gloated with a wink. Azula couldn't help but give her a friendly smile in return. The acrobat suddenly and without warning gave a series of high pitched, quick little sneezes. She sniffled afterwards, looking slightly disoriented by the violent outburst. Azula only just realized they were both soaking wet from the rain, and if they didn't do something quick they would both be in danger of catching a severe illnesses. 

"We need to dry off. If we huddle together I can at least keep us warm. I'll do my best to dry us off in the process, but I can't do it very quick without burning us alive." The princess assumed her usual authoritative tone, a familiar sign to Ty Lee that there was a plan in process. Even when it was something as simple as drying off from a storm, Azula still sounded as if she were planning an attack. That was something that probably wouldn't ever change, but Ty Lee was used to it so it hardly made any difference. 

The sat down together against the inside of the tree, and Ty Lee wrapped her arms around Azula's middle. She rested her head on her friend's shoulder while enjoying the warmth emanating from the princess. Azula put her own arm around the acrobat, gently soothing away the dampness with a fiery touch. It didn't take long for the combination of Azula's warm caress and the weariness of the previous night to send Ty Lee into a deep, blissful sleep. As light snoring reverberated about the hollow tree, Azula looked down at her exhausted friend, and as she did so the hint of a smile crossed her face. Sitting there in that tree, cold, wet and tired, she realized Ty Lee was just as fragile as herself. They both needed each other and that was all there really was to it. The princess brushed a strand of wet hair out of her friend's face, then laid her head on Ty Lee's and listened to the wind howling outside. 

Day broke slowly across the eastern sky. The storm had passed for the most part, the rain had subsided and the winds were no more than an annoyance at worst. Thick clouds still covered most of the visible sky, but they were growing noticeably lighter as the sun came further and further up, as if the great ball of fire was chasing the storm out of the sky. Azula hadn't really slept during the storm, more or less she just sat and unconsciously listened as it passed. Her mind was far, far away, while at the same time it was right beside her. She'd given up fighting it, her mind was always going to go back to the same thing, it was just easier if she accepted it. 

A low rumbling rolled across the sky, somewhere way off in the distance, as the first rays of light pierced through the clouds and kissed the earth. Azula wanted to let Ty Lee sleep a little longer, or maybe she just wanted to hold her a little a longer, but she knew better. Without the airship, it was going to be quite a walk to the imperial city. They were lucky to have made it to the mainland, but luck wouldn't carry them the rest of the journey. They had to get started if they ever wanted to get there, and so with a disgruntled sigh she gave the acrobat a light shaking. 

"Time to wake up Ty Lee. We have a long walk ahead of us." The princess said softly, still not truly wanting to let go. Ty Lee mumbled something inaudible and just barely opened an eyelid. She could see it was light out, but otherwise sleep disorientation hadn't worn off yet and she hadn't any real idea of where she was. With a great big yawn she began waking up, and tilting her head she looked up at Azula, still sitting there holding her. She was completely dry at this point, but the warmth was still very much welcome to her. 

"Morning Azula." Ty Lee half said, half yawned as the last bits of sleep crept out of her body. "Nothing like sleeping in a tree... To make you appreciate a nice soft bed." They both laughed giddily at her bad joke. 

"Well I hope you were at least warm. I tried my best you know." Azula told her with a faintly discernible pride in her voice. 

"I sure was. I'm even all dry now too, thanks Azula!" Ty Lee's cheery demeanor was in full swing, a sure sign that it was time to start going. 

"Don't mention it. We have to start moving if we want to get home anytime soon, and I'd like to travel by daylight." Ty Lee nodded, and one by one they exited the tree. The storm had left quite a scene outside. All around them trees were knocked over and leaning up against one another. The older ones stood firm, but the smaller trees had little chance in the furious winds of last night's storm. Rain had covered everything in sight with a thick layer of liquid, most notably the ground. Everywhere the girls stepped there was a _squish_, as if they were plodding through a marsh more than a forest. They made their way through the forest, carefully stepping to avoid the really nasty spots, until after perhaps an hour or two they came to the edge of the forest and into a clearing that lay beyond. 

"Hey, uhh, Azula?" Ty Lee's pondering voice broke the silence between them. The princess turned her head to give her friend a quizzically raised eyebrow in response. "Do you have any idea where we are?" The question caused both of them to stop in their tracks. It was only now that Azula realized she in fact did not have any clue as to their whereabouts. She turned to and fro, trying to judge where exactly on the mainland they had landed. Her lip twisted and curled in frustration as she soon found she couldn't figure it out. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't discern their location. After a few minutes of futile denial, Azula finally let out a defeated huff and confessed. 

"I can't tell." The princess mumbled angrily, clearly unhappy that she didn't quite have all of her old skills. 

"What?" Ty Lee asked, being unable to clearly hear her friend's mumbling words. 

"I can't fucking tell, alright!" Azula snapped, more angry with herself than she was at Ty Lee. The acrobat was taken slightly aback by the sudden burst of fury, and seeing this Azula quickly recognized her blunder and got a handle on her anger. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault and I shouldn't have blown up at you like that. I guess I still need to learn how to deal with my frustration." She admitted despairingly, not at all wanting to hurt Ty Lee's feelings, especially over something so trivial. They would fine their way eventually, that's just the way it was. Together, they could always pull through. 

"It's okay Azula, we'll make it back, just you wait and see. We've pulled through worse haven't we?" Ty Lee told her friend reassuringly. She had a point, just off the top of her head Azula could think of half a dozen situations that were _much_ worse than being temporarily lost, and they had always managed to make it just fine. 

"I suppose you're right, aren't you? We've been in some real dangerous situations together, but we've always gotten by because we work together. Being slightly lost certainly isn't going to hold us back." Azula stated, trying to sound calm but the uncertainty in her voice was abundantly clear to Ty Lee. It sounded more as if she were trying to convince rather than remind herself. Ty Lee watched as her friend began gnawing nervously on her lower lip, and rolling her eyes the acrobat grabbed her friend's hand and began leading her on. 

"We'll be fine Azula. Let's go already, you're the one who wanted to travel during daylight after all." Ty Lee reminded her with an impatient tone. It didn't matter to her where they were headed, at this point she just wanted to go. Azula gave in and obediently followed her friend's aimless march, not having much of a choice what with the iron grip Ty Lee had on her hand. Her grip loosened after a while as it became apparent that Azula was willing to follow her without the use of force. It wasn't much later that the princess was freed altogether from her friend's grasp. Azula looked down at her hand and noticed the red marks Ty Lee had left, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat impressed. She had never known the acrobat to have such a such grip, but then again, she had also never really seen Ty Lee angry. Who knew what she was ultimately capable of. 

The pair continued west, heading further inland in the hopes that they would find a road. If they could do that, they would easily be able to make their way home. After a few more hours of endless walking, the sun had risen to high noon and was beating down mercilessly on them. Unfortunately there wasn't anything they could do about it, not out on the open hills they had found themselves hiking across. All the girls could do was keep moving forward, step by exhausting step. Up one side of a hill, down the other, onto the next and repeat. Maybe it was the fifth, maybe it was the tenth hill, which it was they couldn't be sure, but as they crested the summit they saw before them the most beautiful thing they could have hoped for. A wide, dark, dirt road cut a swath through the hilly countryside, but what really made it wonderful wasn't the road itself, it was what was on it. 

"Hey! Hey wait up!" They yelled in unison at the large cart rolling steadily along the rocky road, drawn forward by a pair of large dragon mooses. 

"Whooaaa up there, whooaaa." The old man steering the cart called out to his animals and they obediently stopped, in all likelihood thankful for the break. That cart looked awfully heavy for just the two of them to be pulling. Clearly he was a traveling merchant of some sort, as his cart was laden with all sorts of trinkets and treasures from all over the world. "Well I'll be, you girls look beat. Where ya headed?" He had a friendly, albeit a bit raspy and creaky, voice that was comforting to their ears for some reason. His face was like a road map of the Earth Kingdom, but they were lines of kindness and good will. He may not have had hair on his head, but his large, bushy white beard told stories all it's own. 

"We're on our way to the Imperial City." Azula replied in a dignified manner, donning her usual old formal self in an attempt to sound official and as a means of gaining favor with the old man. When manipulation runs through your veins, it can be impossible sometimes to even tell that you're doing it. 

"Well, it's your lucky day ladies, I'm headed up that way myself. You're welcome to hop in if you want. Dya, ya, I mean," He cut himself off to clear his throat loudly before continuing, "Ya'll aint no sorts o' trouble makers, are ya?" The old man gave them a suspicious look under his bushy white eyebrows, studying them carefully as if watching for any signs of a lie. Azula only looked at him with an unwavering calmness, something she was still quite good at apparently. 

"No, we're just travelers on our way home. Last night's storm destroyed our airship and now we are continuing on foot, as you can see." She explained, surprising not only Ty Lee but even herself with her honesty. While she didn't necessarily lie about who she was, she didn't exactly reveal her identity either. She decided that was probably the smartest thing to do, having no way of knowing exactly what the public opinion of her was anymore. The old man nodded and his expression changed to one of understanding as well as relief. 

"Good enough for me, climb on up." He told them cheerfully, his smile missing more than a few teeth. He seemed happy to have company on his journey, which must have been a long and lonely one for the man up until this point. It probably didn't hurt that it was young, attractive female company either. A certain glint in his eye seemed to suggest that very thought, but he was a frail elderly man. _Let him have his thoughts,_ Azula told herself, knowing that if he actually tried anything the two of them would pummel him into the ground. 

Both girls thanked him as they climbed up, equally grateful not to be walking any more. The cart was about as full as one might expect for a traveling merchant, and so finding room to sit was no simple task. They eventually made some space, and with a few clicks of the old man's tongue, the beasts grunted and began pulling the cart forward once more, first at a crawling pace, but gradually building speed as they went. Once they were moving at a comfortable pace, Ty Lee decided to break the awkward silence that had settled in their midst. 

"So, you're a traveling merchant it looks like. Do you have a name?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm, as obviously the man did in fact have a name. It was just a roundabout way of asking what it was without sounding too nosy. 

"Sure am and sure do, but my name's not important. Ya'll can call me Old Man V. Been around these parts doin' my trade for, err, well let's see now..." Old Man V trailed off, mumbling what in all likelihood was gibberish under his breath while he tried to recall the many years of his long life that he had spent in this particular trade. "Well, it's been a long time in any case, I can assure you." He finished after a short while, giving up trying to remember something so trivial. It was quite likely that he was in the early stages of senility. "How about you girls, ya'll got names or are yuh just 'travelers'?" He asked in return, placing a certain teasing sarcasm of his own on the word travelers. 

"Oh, well, my name's Ty Lee, nice to meet you old man." 

"V. Old Man V." He shot gruffly, apparently fully expecting them to address him with the name he had given them. 

"Oh, sorry... Nice to meet you Old Man V." Ty Lee felt her face reddening as she corrected herself, feeling embarrassed as well as uneasy from the sudden change in his demeanor. She didn't think it had been that big of a deal, but it was obvious to her now that indeed it was. She nudged Azula, showing a clear desire for some help in this conversation. She wanted the heat taken off of her a bit. The princess sighed and decided to oblige her friend. 

"And I am... Urszula, also a pleasure." Azula gave an obviously fake name, but she wasn't too worried about the old man realizing it. She was pretty sure he was on the brink of senility, if not already there. 

"Likewise, ladies!" His mood changed immediately and almost imperceptibly back to one of cheer and good will, so fast in fact that it was more than a little bit unsettling to the two girls. "You can call me just plain ol' old man if ya fancy." At this befuddling remark the two girls exchanged wide eyed looks of confusion as well as amusement. Yep, he was senile. Neither of them needed to say it for both of them to know it was true. As if to make it official, he even started to laugh to himself, snorting every so often as he did. Azula couldn't contain her own laughter at that point, and soon the three of them were all laughing hysterically for no real reason at all. Anybody passing by would have thought all three of them were crazy, and the sad reality was that they wouldn't be too far off in the assumption. It was going to be both an interesting as well as entertaining trip. 

The cart continued down the long, seemingly endless road as the sun climbed further west across the sky. Last night's brutal storm was a memory that faded quickly underneath the tranquil, dark blue sky. Ty Lee watched the world slowly creep past them while Azula watched a solitary cloud drift it's way across the sky. A sudden bump in the road brought the both of them back from their thoughts, and as if realizing it, or even planning it, the old man turned his head to question them yet again. 

"So what's bringing you gals to the Imperial City today?" His query met initially with silence, as Ty Lee didn't want to answer and Azula wasn't sure how to answer without giving away too much. After an uncomfortable minute, she decided on an acceptable answer. 

"We're going home." She said distantly, the very idea of it suddenly striking her with it's weight. Home. The princess hadn't thought about it at all since leaving the prison. Ty Lee was one thing, but what about all the other people who had been involved? What would her brother Zuko, who now happened to be Fire Lord, have to say to her? Her old friend Mai, whom she had nearly tried to kill? There were a lot of people she had hurt, and now, with every passing mile, she was that much closer to having to face them. _Home_ certainly wasn't going to be quite as wonderful as Azula had initially thought. 

"Spoken like a true traveler of the world. How long ya'll been away?" Old Man V's questions didn't seem to have any foreseeable end to them, but then neither did the road they were traveling, so Azula decided it was for the best that she continue to answer. There wasn't anything else to pass the time with after all. 

"It's... Been a while." Azula admitted sullenly, as if the epiphany had finally struck her as to just how much of her life she had lost. The old man seemed to hear the truth somewhere in her words. 

"I see. You haven't been off traveling, have you?" His tone changed drastically from the positive couldn't care less I'm senile sound it had before to one that was much more serious and just a bit somber. Ty Lee gave her friend a very concerned look, as she was suddenly very aware of the direction the conversation was taking and started to worry for her friend. Azula took notice, and despite the fact that perhaps for the first time in their entire friendship Ty Lee actually wanted her to lie, she had resigned herself not to fall back into her old ways. 

"I would be lying if I said yes." Azula confessed, biting her lip even as she did in an attempt to fight the urge to lie. She was finding it much harder than she had anticipated. Lies had always been her first response, they were easier than the truth. With the truth, you had to face the consequences of your actions and decisions, but with lies, you could always find another crack in the floor to slip through, and thus avoid condemnation for another day. 

"That's the kind of answer that makes me not want to hear the truth. In any case, it isn't any business of mine. Just bear this in mind, 'cause I've a feelin' it might concern you." He turned his head to make sure they were both listening, and once satisfied that they were he continued with a foreboding tone. "Things have changed since the end of the war, and there are those of us who would go so far as to say not for the better." The old man paused to gather himself. It seemed whatever he was trying to say was really bothering him. "There's been killings, only killings aint the word... More like assassinations." It was that last word that triggered a response. Azula's eyes widened briefly in disbelief before narrowing on the old man steering the cart. He wasn't looking back though, instead he intently watched the road, or at least that was the impression he was giving off. 

"How exactly does this concern us?" Azula asked impatiently after it became obvious he wasn't going to return her attention. The faint traces of uneasiness were beginning to swell in her gut, and the princess wasn't entirely certain she liked where this was going. 

"Hmph, here I figured assassinations in the Imperial City would concern anybody and everybody who lived there. I suppose if you reckon yourself above such nuisances then the details are unimportant." Old Man V replied with a bothered tone. He wasn't one to be spoken to in such a disrespectful manner, he had been around long enough to earn the right to take as much time as he wished when speaking. Azula immediately recognized her blunder and humbly discarded her pride. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. What I meant to ask was why do you think this concerns us specifically? Do you really think we're likely targets by assassin's?" She struggled to keep her tone respectful and courteous, something she was definitely not accustomed to. The old man grumbled something under his breath before deciding that the apology was acceptable. 

"Well you see, the interesting part here isn't that people are being killed, but rather _who_ the people being killed are. The Fire Lord has tried to keep things hush hush naturally, but we merchants got our ways of hearing things. Word is all of the people who have been killed either are or were high ranking officers in the army during the war. Some of them resigned after the treaty was announced, but it doesn't seem to have saved them. If you ask me, I'd say someone's not ready to forgive and forget so easily." 

"That's quite an interesting assessment, but I still don't see how the two of us would be in danger. Do we look like commanders of the army?" Azula couldn't prevent that old snide tone from resurfacing as she asked that last question. Surely even someone as crazy and insane as this old man couldn't possibly mistake either of them for people of official position. While the man's senility had at first amused the princess, she was now finding it more annoying than anything else. She couldn't even be sure if he knew what he was talking about, but seeing as it was either his cart or her feet, Azula decided it would be best to stay on his good side. 

"What you _look_ like is the ex-princess to the throne, and if that were the case I'd be a lot more afraid of whoever's doing this if I were you. Military officers are one thing, but the previous Fire Lord and his daughter? Those would be high priority targets if you ask me. Especially what with their being put in prison before anybody could get to them." Old Man V didn't even so much as glance behind him to gauge Azula's response, instead he just kept on going at the same steady pace as if he were talking about the weather or some other trivial subject. "Yep, if'n ya ask me, I'd say whoever's behind all them killin's would be itchin' somethin' mighty fierce to get his'r her hands on one of those two." 

"Well nobody is asking you old man so just shut it!" Both the old man and Azula were equally startled when Ty Lee suddenly and angrily burst into the conversation. The princess looked at her friend and felt a lump forming in her throat as she saw what could only be a tear swelling in the acrobat's eye. The idea of somebody, anybody, trying to hurt Azula clearly didn't sit well with Ty Lee. Or maybe something else was bothering her. 

"Eh? I'm just speculating up here, no need to go'n get all flustery bustered miss. Just givin' a friendly word of warnin' is all." He stated reassuringly, a hint of humor creeping into his words. He turned his head just slightly so Azula could see the mischievous, thin smile creeping across his face. "Besides, I'm sure if the princess is even half as good as she used to be then you'll have nothing to worry about." Ty Lee gasped as her eyes became unbelievably huge, worry flooding the pale grey pools. She looked to her friend who was equally as astonished, only much better at hiding it. Azula was aware of her friend's gaze upon her, but she maintained steady eye contact with the old merchant, who was exceedingly more crafty than she had at first given him credit for. 

"Well well, for a senile old man you're a good deal more perceptive than I had originally thought. I guess I will just have to be more observant and careful in the future." Azula stated in that ever confident tone of hers, not at all letting on to how insecure and nervous she was actually feeling just then. The old man's smile only grew larger, making the leap from mischievous to flat out creepy, and complete with missing teeth and rotting gums. "Tell me, have you known all along, or did something give it away?" 

"Oh, come now. What kind of citizen would I be if I couldn't identify on sight our once exalted princess? It's only been a year after all, and when you've been around as long as I have you realize how short a single year really is, and how little changes in it." He replied lethargically, almost as if he didn't consider it any sort of big deal that she was out and free. She could have escaped for all he knew, unless his craftiness ran far, far deeper than Azula could have even fathomed. 

"While I'm flattered by the recognition, I'm still curious to know why you seem so calm about this situation. Surely you're aware of the events that took place at the end of the war? The events involving me specifically." Azula inquired, becoming more and more confused as well as frustrated by this increasingly odd old man. After thinking about it for a second, Old Man V decided a humble nod was the only response necessary. Taking note of this, the princess continued her line of questioning. "But you're not scared? Not afraid that I may have escaped, that I may still be just as violent and unstable?" In all of these questions, Azula hadn't even noticed Ty Lee, who was now on the verge of an emotional breakdown. 

Ty Lee hadn't actually been there the day Azula broke down, being already imprisoned by her best friend after a brief dispute at the prison facility known as the Boiling Rock. Although she hadn't been there to witness the princess' breakdown, she had heard all about it, and in greater detail than she would have liked. Now, even just the thought that that Azula might still be there, that even a shimmer of her old self might shine through, was enough to bring Ty Lee practically to tears. She hadn't been there in Azula's darkest hour, and she was certain she didn't want to be. If that old Azula really was still there, Ty Lee was terrified that she would be unable to stay by her friend's side should that malevolence ever resurface. 

"Ehh, when you're as close to death as I am, you stop worrying about whether or not people will do you any favors. There's a reason we old folk's go senile ya know. I spent so many long years of my life worrying about people hurting me or doin' me wrong, now I just worry about whether the people I'm talkin' to are really there. Which reminds me..." The old man reached behind him and pulled a stick out from somewhere underneath the pile of stuff. At this time, Azula had finally decided to give her attention to Ty Lee, who was struggling to remain in control of her emotions. The princess put her hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. She knew what was bothering her friend, and Azula had to convince her that she wasn't going to fall back into her old ways. 

Neither of the girls seemed to notice what the old man was doing when all of the sudden Azula felt something poke her in the side of the face. She nearly shot out of the cart when she felt it. When she turned her head to see the stick that the old man was prodding her with she nearly lost it. 

"What the HELL are you doing!" She demanded as actual smoke began wafting out of her ears. 

"You can never be too sure." Old Man V chuckled in response, not at all giving in to the intimidating sight of the fuming princess. He decided she at least deserved an explanation, and so went on to inform her, "I once had a two hour conversation with someone I thought was there, sitting right where you are now, only to find out it was just a life size doll of a small child. A very small child, mind you. Eh, come to think of it, I don't think it was life size at all.. No, just a small doll that _looked_ like a child. Yeah, that's it!" 

Azula tried to remain angry at the old man, but it was futile. Instead, she bowed her head and refocused her energy on preventing the laughter from escaping. It was a losing battle. Within moments the three were all howling with laughter once again as the sun reached noon in the sky. The next couple hours passed by rather quickly, with the three exchanging stories and sharing laughs, mostly brought on by Old Man V's senility and his overzealous acceptance of it. He truly was a man who had enjoyed his life and was now enjoying the final closing chapter of it, complete with all of it's delusions of grandeur. 

As they came over the crest of a large hill, they could all three see the large outer wall of the volcano looming ahead of them. Their ancestors had used their abilities to deactivate the massive volcano and use it as the location for their capital. It was an excellent place, as the high outer walls of the volcano itself provided protection from attackers, and the years of molten lava flowing underneath had created a labyrinth network of caves below the city that could be used in emergencies for the people to take shelter in. Throughout the entire last 100 years of war, no army had ever captured the Imperial City, and only once was it even breached. It was during the time of a solar eclipse that it had happened as well, rendering the firebenders helpless against their attackers. It was then, like many countless times in the nation's history, that the cave system's usefulness was tested, and it proved an excellent hideaway for the Royal Family, along with the greater populace, as they awaited the return of their powers. 

Though none of them could see any buildings, they were all equally aware that their Imperial City was just ahead of them, concealed from the world behind those great rocky walls. The anticipation rose in both Ty Lee and Azula, however Azula's came with a bitter hint of fear and trepidation. Being home and free was one thing, but regaining the trust, and perhaps even love, of her old friends and family, was a task that would not be easily completed. She contemplated this and other similar thoughts as they made their way down the dirt road they had been on for so long now. Ty Lee on the other hand was just ecstatic about seeing Mai again, as well as the city in general. While she may not have been in prison, she had still been away from home for just as long as the princess. There were some long overdue hugs that she was absolutely bound and determined to give out. 

"Well, here we are at long last ladies." Old Man V stated as they reached the foot of the volcano. "Now we just have to get around this old hill." He clicked his tongue a few times and the beasts pulling the cart turned to start rounding the volcano. There was only one way into the city after all, and it was on the east side of the volcano, where it met the sea in the great bay. They had come in from the North, perhaps 40 or so miles Azula figured, based on the speed at which they had traveled and the time it had taken them. Then she thought about the trip in the airship, and after all the numbers were crunched she realized that despite how remote the prison island had appeared, it wasn't all that far from the Imperial City itself. A one day trip perhaps by Battleship, if it were one of the faster ones anyways. It amazed her how alone and isolated she had felt, and yet at the same time she was still well within the borders of her nation. Prison could play many awful tricks on the mind, especially when it's one with no sunlight. 

"Azula?" Ty Lee's concerned voice broke through the princess' thoughts, bringing her back from the dark places her mind was taking her. "You look troubled, is everything alright?" Azula's worried look told the acrobat everything she needed to know without even having to wait for a response. 

"It's just... I don't know." Azula admitted bleakly, becoming less and less confident the closer they got. "Do you really think anyone will want to see me? They'd probably be happier if I just never came back at all." Ty Lee choked a little inside. She couldn't help but feel insulted by how rarely Azula ever considered her feelings. 

"And how do you think I would feel if that happened? Damn it Azula! Why don't you ever stop to consider that maybe there _are_ people who still care about you, who have always cared about you. Those people don't want to see you in prison anymore, and they don't want to see you beating yourself up over this either." Ty Lee argued, trying desperately to get through to her friend. 

"What people? That's only you, Ty Lee!" Azula blurted out before even thinking about what she was saying, and instantly she regretted the words that came out of her mouth. Lip trembling, Ty Lee sat there, frozen in astonishment, trying to figure out if she had heard her friend correctly. 

"Only me?" She repeated weakly, forcing the words out before the tears. 

"Ty Lee I'm sorry I didn't mean it like-" 

"No, you're right Azula, after all it _is_ only me. Sorry if I'm not good enough for you, hopefully your other friends are! Oh wait, that's right you DON'T HAVE ANY! And with an attitude like that it doesn't surprise me. After all, why would anybody want to be friends with a stuck up spoiled little arrogant psycho BITCH!" Ty Lee's screams bounced off of the rocky wall next to them and echoed in Azula's ears over and over. The princess couldn't muster a word in response, all she could do was acknowledge everything her friend said as true. The saddest part of all was that it was true. All of it. She didn't have any other friends, and it was for all the reasons, as well as many, many more equally as unflattering ones, that Ty Lee had stated. 

"That hurt Ty Lee..." That meek response was all Azula could manage, but Ty Lee clearly wasn't finished. 

"Well the truth usually does, Azula! But you want to know what hurts even worse? It's being the ONE person in the entire world who's stayed by you, despite EVERYTHING you've done, all the people you've murdered and all the terrible ways you've treated me, and still not being good enough." Ty Lee's words stabbed right into the princess' heart, piercing right to her very core and infecting her soul with pure pain and agony. When Azula failed to make any attempt at a response Ty Lee just shook her head in disappointment. "Fuck you Azula." 

"Ty Lee I'm-!" 

"FUCK YOU!" She screamed through the tears that were streaming down her face loud enough to probably be heard by people on the other side of the volcano's wall, and without even thinking she threw a hard right jab straight at Azula's cheek. Not a slap, not a warning shot, not even a hit intended to paralyze or cause other nerve damage, just a full force fist that landed squarely on the princess' jaw with a smacking thud. The force of the impact spun the princess' entire upper body around and partially dislocated her jaw. Ty Lee didn't even stick around to see the damage she had done. As soon as she had driven her point home she hopped nimbly out of the still moving cart and ran off towards the way they had come from. She didn't even know where she was headed, she just made her way through a fog of tears and blinding rage as a dull pain began throbbing in her knuckles. Ty Lee looked at her hand to see a mixture of tears of blood dripping off of her fingers, neither of which were hers. 

"Hooo Wee! That was quite a shot you took princess! Not as spry as ya used to be, eh? Well, no worries I know the feeling meself. Oh wait, but I'm also ninety six, what's your excuse? Keeyah!" Old Man V didn't miss his golden opportunity to crack a funny and proceed to laugh maniacally at his own joke. There was nothing funny about it to Azula though. She didn't even hear the old man as a matter of fact. A loud ringing in her head distracted her senses from everything else that was going on. She couldn't even see that Ty Lee had taken off. When she tried to open her mouth and speak there was a terrible pain in her jaw as she felt it pop back into place. There was still a throbbing pain, only this one was on the outside of her mouth. She reached up to gingerly touch the quickly bruising side of her face where she had just been hit. 

_She drew blood.._ Azula thought to herself as the warm, sticky liquid spread across her fingertips. She didn't need to see it to know what it was, which was good because her sight hadn't completely recovered just yet. There was no denying, that was quite a punch the seemingly harmless little acrobat packed. Azula couldn't help but let slip a small smile, only to find that smiling right now was a mistake that pain would teach her not to make again. _Agni that was a good hit._ After a few moments, when her senses had more or less returned to being functional, she finally realized Ty Lee had taken off and after a quick look behind the cart, Azula knew in which direction her friend had gone. Right as she was about to jump out of the cart herself, she felt an arm stopping her. She turned her head to see Old Man V looking right at her, as if the road didn't even exist. 

"You protect her." His voice had completely changed, from the raspy, creaky old man's voice to a silky, strong, youthful one. It was as if a completely different person were speaking to her just then. "She'll need your protection, almost as much as your love. Just as you'll need hers." Even his eyes had seemed to change, and despite the aging face they were set in, they had a fire in them that screamed of vibrant life. "Protect her Azula." 

"What are you-?" The princess tried to ask, but before she could even finish the question he let go of her arm. Before Azula even knew what was going on she found herself falling face first out of the cart. Had she been as finely tuned as she used to be she may have been able to avoid a nasty spill, but there was no chance in her rusty state. She hit the dirt road hard, her face taking most of the initial impact, followed by her sternum. The wind was completely knocked out of her, and as luck would have it she landed on the same side of her face that had just been hit. The stinging agony of tiny, sharp rocks stabbing their way into her already cut open face was unbearable, and as she hit the ground she screamed in pain. A flock of birds scattered from the nearby trees, and somewhere ahead of her in the distance was a now slightly cooled off Ty Lee, who upon hearing the sound of Azula in such pain (that she wasn't the source of), turned around and started making her way towards the heaving heap of mangled hair and tattered green fabric that was her best friend. 

As Ty Lee approached, she could hear the muffled curses and garbled sobs of both pain and sadness as Azula tried to gather herself together. The distraught princess failed to notice that her friend was now standing over her, looking down on her with an exhausted annoyance. With a huff and a rolling of her eyes, Ty Lee decided she may as well help her friend up, otherwise she was just going to be standing there even longer. 

"Give me your arm, I'll help you up." Ty Lee told her, fed up with wasting time. She was far and away from the normal, happy everyday Ty Lee that Azula was so used to. She was legitimately pissed off and it suddenly hit the princess who she reminded her of. It was herself. Ty Lee was being bitter, angry, impatient and violent. Azula decided whatever else her friend wanted to do to her she probably deserved. The princess reached a hand out towards the acrobat, who grabbed a firm hold of it and with a not so gentle heave Ty Lee pulled her friend up out of the dirt and onto her feet. Azula was still a bit dazed from the fall but she quickly found her balance and was at least able to stand on her own. 

"Thank you." Azula said weakly, unable to even look her friend in the face. She didn't feel she deserved to. She hadn't even gone more than a day without breaking her new oath to be everything Ty Lee deserved, the promise she had made to herself to be a better friend. Standing there, covered in a mix of dirt, blood and tears, Azula looked just about the way she felt. 

"Let's just go already." Ty Lee replied flatly, showing an unbelievable lack of interest in Azula. It was such an odd feeling, something the princess had truly never known. Without Ty Lee's undying affection for her, Azula just felt... blank. Empty. Her very existence was rendered bleak and pointless without her friend's support and adoration. She couldn't stand it, she wouldn't be able to make it, not like this, there was no way. She had taken for granted exactly how important to her Ty Lee's feelings were. Azula had never respected or thought about them, and now they were gone, denied to her in a time when they were needed most. 

"Ty Lee I'm sorry, I should have thought about your feelings-" 

"You should have thought about a lot of things Azula! But you didn't, you _couldn't_, because once again you were too wrapped up with thinking about what everybody else would think of you, little miss perfect, that you failed to think about the only person who's opinion should matter to you!" Ty Lee's anger was reboiling as she went on with her rant. "You never remember me, yet I'm the _only_ person who remembered you. You think my love is yours by right well it's not! I love you because I want to, not because I have to, and one day you'll finally wake up and realize it, but by then it will be too late and you won't have it anymore. You won't have anything anymore! You already lost your crown, you're not even the princess anymore! And now you're going to lose me, and then what will you have? Huh! You won't have shit Azula!" 

Ty Lee's fury was so terrible that Azula almost didn't catch it. Almost. "Did you just say.. That you love me?" She nearly choked on the question, not entirely sure if she should even ask it or if her mind was playing cruel tricks on her again. Ty Lee's eyes widened when she realized what she had said, but the rage was too intense and she didn't want to risk losing the momentum. She would just have to go with it. 

"Yeah, I did, and do you know why, huh? Because I do Azula, I love you! Not like a friend, or a sister, but as the person who's always been there with you, the person who's always wanted to be with you. Azula I'm the only person who knows the real you, the only one who can love you for who you really are. You've just always been too stubborn, too distracted trying to take over the world to realize it. But I don't want the world Azula, I just want you! There isn't anything I wouldn't do, nothing I wouldn't sacrifice, if it meant I could just hold you for a single moment." By this point in her tirade Ty Lee was openly crying, and despite stuttering and fighting for air she went on, "I don't know why, or how, but I do know. I know that no matter what happens, no matter how angry I might be at you, there will never be a single moment where I don't feel this way about you. It's never going to change, even if you killed me tomorrow, with your hands around my neck my last words would be I, Love, YOU!" Tears streamed down Ty Lee's face as she poured her heart out. Azula stood petrified, so completely taken off guard she couldn't even think of how to respond. 

Ty Lee wasn't sure what to do or say next herself. She had gone from a blind rage to a dramatic fit of tears in the blink of an eye. What's more, she had finally confessed her true feelings for her lifelong friend. Whatever happened next would change Ty Lee's world forever. Azula would either deny her affections, effectively crushing the poor girl for the rest of her life, or she would return Ty Lee's love, and the two of them could live the rest of their lives together in a romantic bliss. The acrobat stood there, visibly trembling from head to toe, with every fiber of her being hanging in anticipation, desperately awaiting Azula's response as if it were the very sentencing of Ty Lee's fate. In more than a few ways, it was. 

"I..." Azula choked on her own words, not at all certain of which ones she should use. "Ty Lee," _Spit it out already!_ She screamed at herself in her head, but her mouth could only fumble and stutter as her lungs struggled to push the air over lips. Closing her eyes and bowing her head, Azula's trademark smirk crossed her lips. _Dammit girl, what's wrong with you? This is what you've been waiting for. Go and get her._ "I love you too Ty Lee." 

"REALLY!" Ty Lee shrieked in excitement, her eyes growing at least five times larger and shimmering with a seemingly unending supply of cascading tears. Her heart beat faster than it ever had in her entire life, as if just hearing those words injected her with a super adrenaline that gave the acrobat a feeling of pure invincibility. There wasn't a thing in the world that could bring her down. She leaped towards Azula in a single swift, uninhibited bounding motion, grabbing her newfound love in her arms as the momentum carried them both to the ground. It all happened so fast, Azula didn't even realize what was going on. One moment, she had witnessed Ty Lee swelling with joy and excitement, and the next she found herself lying on the grass with her friend on top of her, practically wrapped around her like a bug clinging for dear life to a twig in a windstorm. 

"Of course I do, Ty Lee. Why would you even ask something so foolish?" Azula asked playfully, wondering how her friend could even for a second doubt the feelings the princess held for her. Ty Lee's expression suddenly changed to one of cautious suspicion. It was too easy, felt almost too good to be true to her. Azula wasn't exactly known for her integrity, and to be so openly honest about something like this... It didn't sit right with Ty Lee, and she _had_ to be sure it was the truth. 

"How do I know you aren't just trying to avoid getting punched again?.." Ty Lee pondered cautiously. She wanted it to be true. More than anything in the world did she want it to be true. But she had to be absolutely certain. Ty Lee knew better than anybody else how good of a liar Azula could be. There was only one way she could think of to make her prove it. "Kiss me." She demanded. "Kiss me like you mean it. If you're lying to me Azula so help me Agni I will make sure you never bend again and-" She never had the chance to finish her empty threats. The princess was more than eager to meet her friend's demand. 

Azula's lips were as intense as the flames she bended, demanding as she herself and as exhilarating as a near death experience. Ty Lee's were as sweet and delicate as a freshly blooming fire lily, luscious and succulent like the first bite into an over-ripened sweet fruit, and as soft and plush as a cloud made of silk. When they met, it was a colliding euphoria that drove each of them to the very brink, and left them hanging by an imperceptibly small thread. Azula's back arched as the blood flowed and gave her feeling in places she didn't know existed. Ty Lee's eye's rolled halfway back into her skull, teasing and leaving her just conscious enough to still taste the fervent fire of Azula's covetous kiss. Their tender osculation could easily have made the spirit's of love and ecstasy themselves jealous. 

After what could just as easily have been a lifetime as it was 5 minutes, the pair finished their first trial as lovers. The shared look in both of their gleaming eyes said that they passed with flying colors. As if to stamp it as official, a glistening strand of saliva stretched between their lips for a few seconds before it too broke and separated, stamping each of them with a small bit of the other's essence. 

"Still think I'm lying?" Azula asked with a coy smile, as if to say 'I told you so.' Slowly she licked the sweet juice from her lips, savoring the remnants of Ty Lee's kiss. 

"I'm not sure what to think anymore Azula." Ty Lee replied hazily, her head still swimming as she lay entranced, all the while Azula remained pinned underneath her. 

"Don't think," Azula wrapped her hand around the back of her friend's neck, their warmth sending a shiver of comfort racing down the acrobat's spine as she added, "Just feel." With those two little words she pulled Ty Lee in again, overcome with the desire to taste those lips once more. She wanted it, needed it, and there was nothing that could stop her from achieving her goal. Ty Lee knew better than anyone that when Azula wanted something badly enough, she was going to get it, and usually by force. But the acrobat had no intentions of resisting, instead she moved in willingly, longingly even. There was nothing that Azula wanted that she herself didn't want equally as badly. 

A hot, juicy tongue that searched fervently for it's partner. A delicate nibbling of a luscious lower lip that was fueled on by an insatiably ravenous appetite. An audible moan of desire and lust that reverberated against the very fabric of the other's soul. Who did which and which was who was impossible to tell anymore, as they were no longer two separate entities. They had unified with each other, in both spirit and flesh, until all remaining lines of discernible separation were obliterated by the fiery tempest of their passion. 

Ty Lee broke away with a gasp, panting for breath and slowly becoming aware of where they were. "Azula..?" She asked worriedly, causing the princess to cringe before reluctantly opening her own eyes. The princess noticed almost immediately the nervous look in her lover's eyes as they darted to and fro. She gave an exasperated sigh before responding. 

"What is it now, Ty Lee?" Azula asked impatiently, the unmistakeable sound of longing and desire still clearly present in her voice. She only wanted one thing right then, and it wasn't to talk. 

"We're on a road." Ty Lee pointed out, suddenly feeling very exposed and self conscious. 

"An empty road." Azula retorted matter of factly. She had a point, but the angered glance her friend shot quickly back at her told the princess it didn't make any difference. 

"A _main_ road. Azula, the Imperial City is just on the other side of this wall." Ty Lee reminded her as she pointed towards the volcano not more than 20 yards away from them. "There's no telling who could be watching us right now." Ty Lee's tone told Azula one thing for certain: This romantic episode wasn't going anywhere until they did. 

"Fine, but just remember that this was your idea in the first place." Azula said teasingly, once again finding amusement in her friend's insecurities. Ty Lee unwrapped herself from around the princess' body and steadily got to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her pants and fixing the few rogue strands of hair that had managed to achieve freedom from that ridiculously long braid of hers. Azula followed her friend's lead, getting up and dusting herself off. Her hair, however, was for the first time that she could remember not restrained with any sort of intricate braid or styling. Instead, it was simply flowing freely about in the warm summer breeze. It felt good to her, a nice change of pace from the constantly oppressive pull of her usually strictly kempt hairdo. Once satisfied that they were semi-normal looking, they looked up and down the deserted road, trying to decide where to go from here. 

"You know," Azula started, breaking the silence before it could settle fully in, "If we came in from the north, then we should be close to the old trails." She gave Ty Lee a playful smirk as the thought crossed her mind. The acrobat's face lit up as the memories began flooding in. 

"Ooh, we haven't used those in ages!" Ty Lee exclaimed jovially, like a child who had found an old, long lost toy. 

"Since we were children if I remember correctly. They should lead right to the Imperial Plaza, it's practically a back door into the palace. What do you say Ty Lee?" Azula asked, although why she didn't know, the answer was already pretty obvious. 

"Let's go!" Ty Lee practically jumped for joy. It would be like reliving their days as kids together, sneaking in and out of the city via the old abandoned footpath that was in all likelihood completely forgotten by everyone else in the Fire Nation. _No_, She thought to herself, _This would be better than those days. This time, we aren't just friends._ It was a wonderful, almost enchanting feeling. Not only to be in love, but to be liberated from the secrecy, to finally be free from the oppressive chains of worry that Azula might not share her feelings. To at long last be able to openly show her love, and to receive it back in equal magnitude, there was nothing that could express the feeling. And yet, it could so easily be symbolized by the simple interlacing of their fingers as they held each other's hand and made their way towards the volcano's outer wall. 

It didn't take long for them to find the old footpath, and together they began making the steady hike up the intimidating volcano wall. They climbed over sharp rocks, through thick shrubs and prickly underbrush, mostly in silence, with all of their words being translated into gentle smiles, warm, soft giggles, and flickering lights in their eyes. Whether they realized it or not, they made the entire hike without ever letting go of each other's hand. They crested the top of the rocky wall right as the sun met the distant horizon, and together they looked out in awe upon the Imperial City. It were as if someone was filtering the entire world through a strawberry mesh, the setting sun giving off a pinkish hue that burned into every last building and tree. Even the clouds themselves were splashed with color, the few that there were anyways. 

A small flock of birds flew up towards the sky as a large bell rang out, signaling the changing of the hour. It must have been around 9 P.M. Azula figured, as it was too dark to be any earlier and too light to be any later. From their vantage point the two girls could see everything, from the grand buildings in the Imperial Plaza to the mighty ships docked at the harbor, over a mile to their east. No doubt in days since passed this very spot must have served as a watch post by scouts, who easily could have seen any army, whether by land or sea, well before they could be of an immediate threat. Now however, it was a private viewpoint for the two new lovers to enjoy the beauty of their city and their home, one which the both of them only now realized just how much they had truly missed this past year. 

"Are you ready?" Ty Lee asked her old friend. Azula took a deep breath, held it for a moment before exhaling and then looked at her Ty Lee. 

"You'll be with me?" Azula asked, looking to the girl beside her for confirmation. It was finally time to face society once again. 

"Every step." Ty Lee replied reassuringly, giving her friend the much needed confidence she would require. Being alone with someone who loves you for you was one thing, but walking through crowds of people who probably still regarded you the same way they did a plague, well that just wasn't an easy thing to do, it didn't matter who you were. So, with a sigh, Azula waved away the last lingering trepidatious thoughts and, still clutching Ty Lee's hand, they started to make their way slowly down towards the city below. 

The smell of fresh fire flakes rose up to be the first thing from the city to greet them. It didn't matter how long they had been away, the girls both instantly remembered how incredible the fire flakes from the city were. While there may have been over a dozen vendors for the particular item in the city, the best ones were of course set up in the Imperial Plaza, along with all of the other highest quality merchants and services. Despite how late in the day it was, the plaza wasn't expected to shut down for at least a couple more hours. This late in the summer, the citizens of the Fire Nation had a habit of staying out late and enjoying the warm, tranquil nights, and it didn't help that all the best local entertainers didn't even start until after sundown, when the fire could really have it's full effect. 

Azula and Ty Lee had both been born and spent their entire lives in the Imperial City, more specifically in the Imperial Plaza, the social grounds for those of wealth and nobility. All of the sights, sounds and smells were engrained in their minds, to the point where even a year's absence couldn't erase them. As they neared the edge of the city and the end of their secret trail, the smells were now all rushing towards them, like a blast from the past greeting them with the open arms of an old, dear friend. The fresh fire flakes, sizzling in their little baskets, the dough frying in oil, and the oddly aromatic stench of burning hair, a telltale sign that the performers were preparing for their nightly duties. While ordinarily a horrific stench that would burn the nostrils, burning hair had a way of combining with all of the other aromas in the air and adding an extra something of it's own. Whether it truly did smell good, or if the smell was just familiar due to being imprinted in their minds, they weren't sure, but the one thing they were sure of was that they enjoyed it. 

Now the sounds were beginning to become audible, the shouts of merchants attempting to overcome the roar of the crowd and show off their wares, the jumbled mix of both buyers and sellers negotiating fair prices, and of course the growls and grunts of the myriad creatures that were never more than a stone's throw away. Some were being auctioned off as exotic pets, others were already filling the role for some rich fools, and then there were those still that served as extra police forces, patrolling the streets alongside the guards and ready to pounce on criminals at a moment's notice. Above it all, was the dull, never ending rumble of people moving about and talking amongst themselves. 

When the pair reached the edge of the city, the sun had already sank more than halfway into the horizon, and the street candles were already being lit by the patrolling guards. A few mischievous delinquents thought they would be clever and help out, but they were hardly what anyone would call capable when it came to firebending. The one who did manage to produce a flame that lasted more than half a second only succeeded in burning half a candle away before panicking and running off down an alley with his buddies at his heels. Had Azula not been right there at the time, it could have been disastrous for the nearby buildings, but she calmly walked by and as she passed the flame was no more, instead there was merely a hair thin plume of smoke that wafted harmlessly up and dissipated into the night sky. _Less than a minute in the city, and already a good deed,_ Azula thought to herself, a faint smile hinting across her lips. 

The two girls walked quietly along the outskirts of the plaza, avoiding the hustle and bustle as best they could. While it very well could have been a wonderful way to spend their first night back in the city, revisiting their favorite performances and munching on their favorite snacks, all either of them really wanted was to pass by unnoticed and retreat into the quiet sanctuary of the palace. They weren't going to be quite so lucky though. A large, strong hand grabbed Azula's shoulder and spun her on her heels without so much as a warning. She nearly spun around swinging, but she (Or perhaps it was Ty Lee) stopped herself before any flames could be ignited. Best not to make a scene this soon. 

"Heya miss," It was a good thing she hadn't tried any bending, because the man who approached her just happened to be a guard, and a rather high ranking one according to the decorations on his armor, "That was you who snuffed the fire back there, wasn't it? That was good thinking, but you really ought to leave those kinds of things to us." His deep voice was too gruff for Azula to tell if he was being rude or polite, but she just gave him a courteous smile and decided it didn't matter, her response would have to be the same either way. "You didn't happen to see where the kid ran off to who started it, did you?" 

"He ran off down that alley over there." She replied coolly without missing a beat. "If he continued at the rate he took off at, then he would have made it at least three blocks away by now, but that particular alleyway is a dead end after five. If you go quickly you should be able to corner him without incident." The guard blinked, surprised by how informative she was. Your typical citizen usually either 'doesn't know' or 'can't remember', but she not only gave him an accurate description of the culprit, she also had details and a plan for catching him. Not your typical citizen at all. He signaled for his men to go, and they ran off at once. He clearly had something more he wanted to say however. 

"Well, you sure do know a lot about the layout of our city, especially for a Kyoshee warrior. Do you visit often?" He asked casually, the tone in his voice dropping from one of official position to a more friendly manner. Azula didn't realize it because, well, it had never really happened before, but Ty Lee recognized that tone immediately. _He's hitting on her!_ She tried to prevent the look of jealous anger on her face from spreading too much, but there was no stopping her hand from practically crushing Azula's. The acrobat was absolutely fuming, and if she herself had been a firebender then there probably would have been some smoke billowing out of her ears. 

"Come agAin?" Azula asked, her voice jumping as she felt her hand being crushed like it was in an iron vice. 

"You're, uh, uniform?" The large, very confused guard cleared his throat nervously, a look of complete bewilderment spreading across his face. 

"Oh, yes, I forgot I was still wearing it. I just thought I was recognized out of uniform but I guess not." Azula didn't miss a beat, as always, and even managed to throw a small chuckle on the last few words, which didn't exactly help the other situation she was dealing with any. That damn outfit! She had completely forgotten she was even wearing it. It was torn in a number of places and covered in dried mud from the swamp forest that morning. She was starting to think the crushed hand was more important than the conversation with the awkward guard. 

"Yeah, I could see why you would want to change." He laughed a little bit himself as he responded. And everything would have been fine, if he just hadn't added, "I got a place you can change out of those clothes, if you want." 

The very instant Azula heard that the vice grip was gone. Where it had gone she couldn't even track with her eyes, but the next thing her mind registered was a small fist shooting out and a gasping, nearly seven foot tall armor clad figure dropping to it's knees. Even if that had been sufficient punishment, it hadn't been nearly enough for Ty Lee, who spun clockwise around and delivered a sharp heel directly to the side of the man's helmet, tossing his head aside like a pumpkin on a stick, the momentum pulling his entire body down, causing him to come crashing into the hard pavement underfoot. Azula could have tried moving as fast as possible, if she had wanted, and maybe accomplished moving her arm before Ty Lee had done all of this. 

Unbelievable. Even before, when the princess had been at her best, Ty Lee had never been that quick nor efficient. It had often seemed to her as if the acrobat would rather play and dance with the enemy than actually defeat them. Now in her decayed state, she was hopelessly outclassed by her old friend. _Those warriors did something for her,_ She told herself, and realized she would have to try twice as hard to be better than she was last time. Azula thought back to when she had first lit that airship, back on the prison island. She had the fuel to do it, now if she could just control it, or rather, control herself. 

"Fire Flakes, Ty Lee! What was that for?" Azula yelled, somewhat in pain from her hand but mostly out of shock from laying that guard out like that. He hadn't twitched yet. Even with that helmet, that looked like a mean kick, and coming from such a small heel it was sure to be painful. 

"Didn't you hear a _thing_ he said to you!" She yelled in response, as if nobody else were even around. If they were trying not to be noticed, then they weren't doing a very good job at it. Before Azula could even say something in response, a passerby noticed the what appeared to be dead guard lying beside them. His cries for help alarmed just about everyone in the area, including the just now returning group of guards who had ran off down the alleyway. They didn't think twice about the street riffraff they had been escorting out, not when potential guard murderers were right there. The kid's didn't think twice about running back home either. 

"Alright you two, surrender peacefully and we won't have to hurt you!" One of the guards yelled, and they wasted no time encircling the girls. Ty Lee's eyes begged for forgiveness as she realized this was her fault, but Azula didn't view this as a time to be mad at each other. They were going to have to think quick if they didn't want to get in some serious trouble. Either that, or fight really hard. 

"I can explain, please-" 

"You can explain all you like from jail, missy." Azula tried to reason with them but it was hopeless. She should have known it too. Guards in the capital don't take shit, especially not when one of their own was at risk. If she had been Princess Azula things would be different, but then again if she were Princess Azula she would also be at severe risk of being mass despised and regarded as a rabid dog. 

"I seen the whole thing!" Someone yelled from the crowd. "The girl in the pink kicked that guard in the head!" Suddenly the guards all had a single target. Azula knew if she didn't do something, Ty Lee was going to prison. Prison wasn't fun, and she couldn't let that happen, not now. 

"Leave her alone." Azula stated flatly, all of the amusement in her voice now disappearing. 

"Get out of the way-" 

"I said stand down!" It was Azula's turn to interrupt, and the feeling of yelling at guards had a comforting familiarity to it. 

"On who's authority?" The guard demanded, clearly unwilling to listen to anyone not wearing a Fire Nation uniform. 

"You mean you don't recognize me?" Azula scoffed, falling right back into the groove as if she had never left. "I am your princess, peasant, and I will be treated with the proper respect!" The guards shifted, but never put their guard down. A few of them even scoffed, while the rest just exchanged uncertain looks. 

"Miss, if you're going to lie to the Imperial Plaza Guard, you should at least put some effort into it. Now you've earned yourself a place in jail, right next to your friend." The guard motioned for the others to join him, and they started to close in. Azula scowled deeply, and looked ready to tear someone's head off. Ty Lee had seen it before, but not in a long time. She thought she might have to restrain her friend, and she prepared herself to do so. 

"Now you listen to me knave!" Azula shouted as large, sapphire flames exploded into her palms. She allowed the flames to burn like great blue torches, undeniable proof of her claim. The guards, and even the crowd themselves, all adopted similar expressions of terror and astonishment. The guards all bowed immediately, grasping desperately at the ground and praying silently to survive the encounter. Going against the princess even before her break down had always been viewed as a mistake, but now the guards didn't even want to know what she was capable of. If she still had the blue fire, then she was still terrifying enough to command them without question. 

"Princess Azula! I'm so sorry, w-we did not know!" The guard who had been so high and mighty not five minutes ago was now begging for her forgiveness. It made a warm, fuzzy feeling rise up in her chest. _It's good to be home,_ She thought to herself, allowing a faint smile to cross while nobody was looking, before resuming a vicious scowl. 

"Since I'm in such a good mood today, I will overlook this blunder." Azula stated, feigning a generous tone. She leaned in to speak to the guard who had argued with her directly, and then added rather threateningly, "Do not allow it to be repeated." Her eyes narrowed to let him know how serious she was, and the pathetic, helpless look on his face told her that he understood perfectly. A strained grumbling suddenly drew everybody's attention to the heap of a man on the pavement. He wasn't dead, and as luck would have it, he chose an excellent time to wake up. 

"Eh, what the..?" He muttered groggily, still trying to regain complete consciousness. He looked up to see his buddies bowing on the ground, a smug and triumphant looking Kyoshee warrior, and a still very, very pissed off girl in pink. "Hey, what the hell was that for!" He demanded, completely oblivious to anything else except the throbbing pain in the side of his head and the person who had caused it. 

"Shhh! Bow down you fool!" His comrade commanded, not wishing to stoke the princess' temper any further. The brute looked from his fellow guard, to the Kyoshee warrior, to the mean girl, and that's when he noticed something familiar looking. Even without the hair style, the makeup, or the uniform, he still recognized that smirk. That proud, overconfident, self obsessed smirk, and those fierce, burning gold eyes. "P-P-Princess A-Azula! Forgive me, I-I had no idea!" He groveled on the ground at her feet. She looked down on him like he was some sort of misbehaving pet.  
>"You are lucky, to have gotten back up. Speak to me like that again and you won't be so lucky." She paused to allow her words to sink in, and then looked to her friend and added, "Come Ty Lee, we are done wasting time here." Azula beckoned for the acrobat to follow her, and she did just that without hesitation or question. She wasn't entirely certain what had happened, but if it was a choice between going to prison or going with Azula, it was a pretty easy decision, and she wasn't going to argue with it. <p>

"Wow Azula, I guess you've still got it." Ty Lee said after they were clear of the crowd, but the princess wasn't thinking about that. 

"What was that all about Ty Lee? You nearly got us thrown in prison, and one of us just got out!" Azula demanded, not at all pleased with having to deal with guards in the first five minutes of being in the city. 

"It wasn't my fault! He was being a pig, hitting on you like that. After that last part I couldn't stop myself." Ty Lee answered defensively, feeling somewhat embarrassed to have let her feelings take control of her like that. Azula, however, wasn't concerned with the fact that Ty Lee had reacted, instead she was more interested in the _way_ she had reacted. 

"What are you talking about?" The princess asked, as if completely oblivious to what had happened. Ty Lee sighed in defeat, remembering how very awkward and naive Azula was when it came to dealings with the opposite sex. 

"Never mind. Look, I'm sorry I reacted like that, it just drove me a little.. crazy, hearing him talk to you like that." Ty Lee admitted, her face reddening from the slight embarrassment. 

"Don't worry, it's alright. I suppose I wouldn't appreciate anybody speaking to you that way either." Azula told her reassuringly. "When did you learn to fight like that?" She couldn't help but ask. 

"Oh, well, I guess learned on Kyoshee Island. Yeah, the girls really taught me how to let it all go." Ty Lee explained, the normal happiness slowly returning to her voice. 

"Looks like I should avoid getting on your bad side." Azula said jokingly, trying to get a rise out of Ty Lee. 

"No, I'm sure with a few months of training you'll be better than me again. After all, you're perfect, remember." Ty Lee replied, not being completely sarcastic either. Azula smiled, flattered at the never ending confidence her friend always seemed to have in her. They walked along the dim, moonlit street in silence the rest of the time, making their way silently towards the palace. 

The massive, intricate building towered above the rest of the city, nestled in almost the exact center of the crater, it's sleek, black marble towers reaching up high, practically past the brim of the volcano around it, and allowing any who stood upon them an unrivaled view of the Imperial Plaza. The last time Azula had seen it, the war was still was in full swing, and the palace had been overly adorned in grand tapestries depicting the Fire Nation flame insignia in red and gold. Now, with the peace treaty in effect, the need for such national symbols to be seen everywhere was lessened, and there was instead only a lone pair of tapestries hanging on either side of the massive entrance way. The girls made their way up the huge stone steps, and standing underneath the massive archway once more gave Azula a feeling of nostalgia. There was a pair of guards standing watch at the main entrance, and as the girls approached they crossed their halberds, barring the way and denying the two access. 

"What business have you with the Fire Lord?" One of them demanded unflinchingly. 

"I am Princess Azula and you will not deny me entrance to my family's home. Stand aside at once." Azula demanded, but the guards did not budge. They didn't seem to care who she was. Anger started building inside the princess, and Ty Lee saw a disaster coming fast. Before she could step in though, a completely unexpected savior appeared. 

"Let them pass." A bored, annoyed female voice came from behind them. The guards turned and, recognizing who it was immediately, both moved aside and bowed slightly. 

"Lady Mai! As you wish." They had no interest in arguing with the Fire Lord's wife, but their lack of respect towards Azula was something that caused jealousy to replace the anger in the princess. 

"Mai!" Ty Lee squealed happily, practically skipping past the guards to give her old friend a hug. She didn't seem to notice, as her eyes were locked with Azula's in a staring contest. They were both reliving that moment when they were ready to go for each other's throats. Each one wondered if the other was going to try and finish what they had started. After a few minutes, Mai decided someone needed to say something. 

"Hello Azula. Been a while, hasn't it." She stated, sounding completely neutral and unconcerned one way or the other. 

"Likewise, Mai. Yes I suppose it has." Azula replied, keeping her own voice calm and controlled. 

"Zuko's expecting you." Mai told her. Azula's eyebrow twitched, but otherwise she remained completely in control of her facial movements. 

"I'll just bet he is." Azula replied semi-sarcastically. She stepped past the guards and made her way into the palace. _Home sweet home._


	7. Of Reunions and Sokka's

The three girls walked down the many long, dimly lit at this time of day corridors that led to the throne room in mostly silence. Ty Lee was whispering to Mai, but the girl hardly had a voice for keeping secrets. Mostly she told the Fire Lady about the trip back, the storm that almost killed them both, a senile old merchant, and of course, she had to brag about how much Azula had changed. Mai gave her the usual dissociated look in return, acknowledging that she was speaking but other than that not giving any real response to what she was saying. It was their usual routine, Ty Lee with her inane banter and Mai with a blatant look of disinterest as they both walked just slightly behind Azula. Whether out of habit or just because, the two had kept their usual marginal distance from the princess, even though Mai outranked her now and Ty Lee could have easily defeated her in a one on one fight. The subtle familiarity of it all almost put Azula's mind at peace. Almost.

She was on her way to talk with her older brother, now Fire Lord, for the first time since she had been taken away and imprisoned over a year ago. The memory of the battle came rushing back to her as she rounded the last corner and stood what felt like miles away from the door leading into the throne room. The rush of anticipation as her brother finally confronted her, the power she felt coursing through her entire body as an effect of Sozin's Comet blazing through the sky. Then, the hopeless despair of defeat, the shattering pain of loss... The gut-wrenching misery of having everything taken from her in one decisive instant. Azula shuddered as she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking the tainted memory from her head before it could put her in a sour mood. She had to keep it all together when she confronted her brother, as any slight mistake could land her right back in prison. Her psychiatrist may have deemed her ready for release, but one word from an angry Fire Lord and she would surely find herself right back in that hellhole, if not a worse one.

"Well, here we are," Azula said aloud, more to herself however than to her companions, as they came to the large intricate door of the throne room. After thinking for a moment, she turned her head so the other two girls could see one of her fiery iris' flash brilliantly in the flickering torchlight, then went on to say, "I think it would be best to have this conversation in private, if that's alright with the two of you?" She may have said it like a question, but both Ty Lee and Mai knew from past experience that it was anything but. Any other time, Mai would have reveled in the opportunity to refuse the princess' request, finally having a position of authority over Azula that allowed her to do so, but under these particular circumstances she understood and, albeit more than a bit begrudgingly, respected her ex-friend's request with a nod. Ty Lee obeyed happily, as usual, and the two girls departed towards a separate section of the palace.

Azula listened as both sets of footsteps faded into the empty darkness behind her, then faced forward once again and found herself staring into the eyes of the golden dragon that was forged into the door, a smaller but otherwise almost identical version of the grand one adorning the wall behind the throne. A thousand scenarios played out in her head, most of them ending badly, before the princess finally got a hold of her thoughts. She inhaled deeply, and steeling her nerves, pushed the large door open.

As the door opened, already Azula could see the flames in front of the throne burning bright and steady, yet the heat was not as intense as she remembered their father's being. _Still not as strong as father, hmm Zuzu?_ She chuckled to herself and allowed a smirk to flash across her face at the thought, but just as quickly as the thought left her head so too did the spiteful amusement leave her face. She would need to be the picture perfect subject, a pinnacle of acquiescence, just as she had been all those years growing up under their father's rule. This wasn't her father though, and it only became more and more clear to her as she advanced towards the throne. This was her _brother_, her horrible, pathetic brother whom she _loathed_with every ounce of strength still inside of her.

He hadn't even defeated her in that Agni Kai, quite opposite in fact: She had all but obliterated him, leaving him alive purely as an act of mercy and pity. She had multiple opportunities to deliver the final blow after immobilizing him with her lightning. All that talk of "_redirecting lightning"_that their uncle had taught him, and when it came down to it he had failed, as usual. Something must have gone wrong because he had ending up writhing in agony on the ground after his failed redirection attempt, convulsing pathetically and leaving her all the time in the world to toy with him before sending him on his final farewell.

It was that sniveling water tribe peasant though, that unbearable, _worthless bottom feeder_ that had taken everything from her. _She_ was the one who put that weakling Zuko on the throne, destroying everything their family had worked to accomplish in the last 100 years. She had destroyed everything Azula had worked to accomplish, and right as she was about to finally achieve her life's ambition no less. That _damn water tribe __**peasant**_Azula screamed inside of her head while her face remained resolute as stone, her absolute seething fury firing off explosively and bouncing around her head like a rabid beast after prey while to all the world outside she remained completely calm and collected.

_Oh well,_ She told herself after allowing the rage to burn itself out, _What's happened has happened. You can't keep burning over the past, you're free now and you need to be a good girl to keep it that way. You have Ty Lee, remember that before you start hurling fireballs at peasants._And so she did just that, and as she pictured her friend's face, remembered how sweet the acrobat's lips had been, she found that the past didn't hold so much pain anymore, and the objects of her anger weren't that important either. Only one thing mattered now, and that was where all of her energies and actions should aim towards.

Azula reached the proper place in front of the throne and she found her body remembering exactly what it was supposed to do without her even thinking about it. She knelt to the ground and bowed her head down with her arms extended out, palms flat on the black marble tiles underneath. "Hail Fire Lord O-Zuko." She caught herself just barely in time to stop from saying their father's name, Ozai. She was still running on muscle memory after all, but at least the Z they both shared in their names had made the correction easier and less noticeable. The subtle shift in the flames indicated that either he had noticed or he simply hadn't quite mastered keeping the flames steady yet, but which it was Azula could only guess.

"You may rise." The Fire Lord replied, after what seemed like an hour, with a completely even tone that betrayed nothing of what he was thinking or feeling. _At least he's gotten better at _something, Azula thought to herself with a dry sarcasm as she got to her feet. She waited and watched intently for her brother to make a move, any move, but after moments went by and still he sat unflinching she decided she would have to take the initiative.

"Come now Zuzu, a whole year without visiting me and now you're going to give me the silent treatment? That isn't very brotherly of you." Azula teased in that ever classical mix between apathy and a feigned pout that she still seemed to do oh so well, finding a long lost comfort in toying with her brother in this manner. The feeling would have been increased had she been able to see any signs of irritation, humiliation, anger; hell anything would have been nice, but no, instead, all she received in return for her remark was that same unflinching austerity she had been greeted by when she had first entered her brother's throne room, that same stoic figure sitting like a stone behind a wall of bright red and orange flames. Even with the long, dark shadows drawn over his face, she knew he was staring down at her, she could just _feel_his chastising gaze upon her as she stood there, uneasy and almost fidgeting as she fought off the urge to scream at him out of angst.

At last he spoke, but his words were far from familial. "It's Fire Lord Zuko now." He said evenly, but with clear undertones of grave distaste for his old nickname.

"Oh please, I've already addressed you with your full title, and I even bowed like a good little girl. What more could you possibly expect from me?" Azula exclaimed, a bitter mix of confusion and anger fighting it's way into her voice. She had to remain in control of herself, and knowing that helped the princess to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. Still, Zuko had more than noticed the frustration in his sister's voice, as his reply indicated.

"All of my other subjects have the decency to remember my name." He stated with just enough bitterness to get his point across. Azula's eyes widened just slightly in surprise and after a quick argument inside her own head she bowed her head humbly and sigh.

"I'm sorry. Force of habit you could say. In any case, it won't happen again, Fire Lord Zuko." The princess' seemingly sincere apology and correction was a shock to both of them, albeit for different reasons. Zuko's mouth almost opened itself as he heard what he had thought to be impossible: His sister _sincerely_ apologizing, without so much as a hint of sinister sarcasm, as was usual whenever the words 'I'm sorry' left her lips. Azula was just amazed that she had managed not to add that sinister sarcasm. Then she realized the reason why, and she felt a modest pride swell up inside of her because of it. It had sounded so genuine because that's exactly what it was. She certainly hadn't _meant_ to call him by their father's name, so it was only natural that the apology was a sincere one. Still, it was an odd feeling, but if she was being completely honest with herself, it was... _mildly pleasant?_

Without any sort of warning, the wall of fire parted in front of the throne and Fire Lord Zuko walked through the gap, descending to the black marble floor, until he stood face to face with his younger sister, who had been lost to him for a year now. No, more than that, much more in fact. It must have been almost a decade since the last time he could remember them being a brother and sister. He stared at her long and hard, those same burning golden eyes that she had boring a hole down to her core, to her soul. Azula knew from years of conditioning that she was never supposed to look the Fire Lord in his eyes, not while in the presence of the throne anyways, but this was different, an exception.

At that moment, she was no longer looking at the Fire Lord, wasn't staring eye to eye with some powerful, godlike being who commanded respect and obedience from her along with all others of her nationality; she was seeing her brother. Her big brother, her guardian from all that was bad in the world, and the only member of her family who had ever shown any semblance of caring for her; Her Zuzu. Just then, as if reading her thoughts and feeling her epiphany, his arms shot up and wrapped around her. She stood frozen at first, not registering exactly what was happening, but as realization washed over her all she could manage to do was return the gesture.

Azula's face buried into Zuko's shoulder, not at all difficult considering it was the same height as her head, and it didn't take long for him to feel the warm moisture of her tears seeping through the fine silk of his robe. He only squeezed tighter, and she only cried harder. So hard in fact that now he could feel every breath as she gasped it in, every jolt of her shoulders as she heaved in despair. She pulled her head back, twin trails of shimmering, clear liquid streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes, usually so commanding and fierce, were instead now desperate and pitiful, the tears building up and pouring out of them caused the light from the fires to dance off of them with a certain tragic beauty as she looked up at her brother.

"Zuko I'm so sorry I-I-" She desperately tried to apologize, only to have her head pushed back against him.

"Shhh, It's alright now Azula. Everything's going to be fine." Zuko hushed her sympathetically, like a parent comforting a child in the midst of a fierce storm, his voice full of compassion with just the slightest tinges of pain piercing through. Azula didn't struggle against his hand, nor did she try any more to force words out. She just cried, into her big brother's shoulder, as all of the agonizing torment of her past washed out of her through the windows of her soul. All the while, Zuko only hushed her softly, brushing her beautiful jet black hair with his hand. It wasn't as impossibly straight and silken as he remembered it being, but then a year without the constant upkeep provided by servants could do that to one's hair.

After some minutes that felt like hours, the princess' weeping had died to down to sniffles and she was finally able to look up at her brother again. She looked into his eyes and suddenly, as if by magic, it was all gone; All of the pain, the hurt, the torment and agony, the betrayal, and even the anger were gone. It was all gone, everything that Azula had caused him in their lifetimes thus far was gone, and instead replaced by understanding, compassion, and even kindness. It was almost as if all she had needed to do, all she had _ever needed to do_, was say she was sorry, and **mean** it, and all was forgiven. Every insufferable insult, all of the tormenting lies and ways she had tricked and deceived him, even the multiple attempts to **kill**him, were all washed away by her tears, and those two imperceptibly miniscule words. It wasn't the words that had done it though, instead it was the meanings and feelings she had put behind them. For the first time in her entire life, she had said she was sorry, and she had meant it. That was all Zuko had ever wanted.

"How can you just forgive me like this?" Azula begged weakly, desperate to understand how such unconditional forgiveness and acceptance could exist, especially between these two specific siblings. Zuko smirked back at his sister and shook his head.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't." He replied coolly, his words however struck a chord with his younger sibling, and the worry and confusion shone through in abundance. Zuko only continued, "But you're my little sister, Azula. I love you, and I don't have a choice but to forgive you." That last sentiment was almost too much for the princess to take, but she felt a need to keep her composure to some degree. Besides, she wasn't really sure how many tears she had left.

"Damn it Zuzu." Azula cursed with an obvious lack of any sort of bitterness. "I love you too." She added, pulling him into another hug and whispering the words softly into his shoulder, like the batting of a butterfly's wings against a flower petal.

"Well I have to say, this really is a surprise." A slightly familiar female voice came from somewhere in the over sized throne room. Azula couldn't remember the name, but that voice was only too familiar with it's over-saturation of kindness and compassion that left the princess' stomach with a twisted, sickening feeling that she struggled to not let show on her face. "You really have changed, haven't you? Or maybe you've just gotten better at lying."

"What is _she_doing here!" Azula demanded, pulling a few paces back from Zuko and mentally preparing herself for an attack while physically she stood straight and kept her hands down, remaining the picture of civility. The Fire Lord knew from past experience that she was in no way unprepared for an attack, however, and had to act quickly to prevent a repeat incident.

"Both of you calm down! There's no need to fight each other, and I won't tolerate such behavior in my palace." Zuko commanded in as regal a manner as he could manage, which being as young as he was wasn't saying much. Neither girl flinched a single muscle, not relaxing their stances whatsoever but also not outright attacking each other. They were both waiting for the other to make the first move. Even in the long shadows cast by the many massive pillars of the throne room, Zuko could see the cap was off of the waterskin that hung at the second girl's hip, and her stance was every bit ready to throw an attack.

The silence became deafening, broken only by the soft crackling of the flames nearby. Zuko sighed heavily, obviously aware that this confrontation had been inevitable but never quite preparing himself adequately to deal with it. _Should have practiced more in the mirror, Zuzu_, The Fire Lord told himself in his sister's mocking voice, after it was apparent that she wasn't going to say it. It was an odd void to fill, if nothing else.

"We were the two who were there Azula." Zuko stated solemnly, realizing that he would have to say something to avoid a fight in his house and finding those words to be the only ones he could think of. "Me and Katara were the only people there on the day of Sozin's Comet, the only two who saw what happened firsthand. It only made sense that we both be here for your return so we could...-"

"So we could make sure you weren't still a crazy bitch!" Came Katara's volatile interruption, seizing the opportunity left by Zuko's trailing words to state how she really felt about her old nemesis. Azula's lip twitched in a snarl, but so fast and so miniscule was it that nobody aside from herself ever noticed. She saw in her brother's eyes that he was starting to feel the anger building up, an all too familiar look to Azula, the only exception being that this time, he wasn't angry at her.

"To make sure that she's _better_Katara!" Zuko turned his gaze towards the dark skinned Waterbender as he shouted his disapproval of her statement. Azula was the only one to notice the flames before the throne growing slightly.

"Better?" She scoffed, resentment dripping from her tongue with every word, "_Better?_ She'll never be _better_, Zuko! She's a psychopath, remember? She practically killed you **and**Aang, remember! We can only guess how many others she's succeeded on, and nobody's safe as long as she's walking around free, you know that Zuko!"

"I _know_that she's my sister!" The Fire Lord screamed furiously, causing the wall of fire behind him to explode upwards in a conflagration that now practically touched the ceiling of the massive chamber. Any argument the girl may have had in response was laid waste to by the terrible display of power, which even Azula may have felt somewhat impressed by, not that she would ever admit it though. Zuko felt a slight swelling of pride himself at seeing how speechless he had left the Waterbender, but he knew it wouldn't last, and if he was going to drive his point home he needed to make use of the opening. The flames fell steadily as he regained his composure, and once they were back to their normal height, about 3 feet at the tallest, he spoke.

"Azula's done some terrible things in the past, nobody can argue that." Katara didn't even try to suppress her snorting response at these first few words, but a burning glare from Zuko silenced her once again and he continued, "And so have I. We all make mistakes in life, and to say that some mistakes are worse than others is all a matter of perspective. The only thing that really matters is whether or not we learn from them and change our paths accordingly. It may have taken her longer than it did for me but that's not important; What's important is that she _has_changed, not how long it took her to do it." Zuko paused to gauge the girl's expression, and was dismayed to see that his words were having little effect on the Waterbender. That's when it hit him, and he wanted to slap himself in the forhead for not realizing it sooner, as it was certain to be the one thing she couldn't argue with. "How would Sokka act if it was you?"

Katara's mouth opened as if she were about to continue the argument, but all that came out was silence, and after a brief inner battle with herself the Waterbender conceded the point and, bowing her head, she finally relaxed her stance.

"Fine." Was all the girl could manage to force out, as weakly as if she had been being choked for the last 5 minutes. Without warning her head shot up, and her deep ocean blue iris' flashed threateningly across the emptiness between her and Azula. "But if you so much as _twitch_ and it looks threatening enough, I will take you down myself, _again_, only this time you won't be so lucky." Katara warned her ex-opponent, and every part of her, from her words to her expression, conveyed to Azula that she meant exactly what she said.

"I'll admit, I can fully understand your trepidation, as well as your, shall we say, less than hospitable attitude towards me." Azula replied admittedly, knowing full well of her past atrocities towards the water tribe girl and her friends. Katara's lip curled in disgust as the princess spoke to her, as if she regarded every word as a venomous lie. Old habits died hard after all. Azula took note, but held a steady look of disinterest and continued, "But let me tell you this; A year locked away in a light-less, insignificant prison cell with nobody to talk to and no fire to bend left me with a lot of time to think as well as a greater appreciation for freedom. I realize I may have caused some trouble and even pain for you and your friends." Here she paused, sighing as she remembered some of the worst of it and her shoulders slumped as she realized any attempt at an apology would come off as completely lame and ineffective. Still, she had to try.

"I can't change that. Nobody can. Not even your precious Avatar." She stopped when she noticed the hostility quickly returning to the Waterbender's eyes, and decided her point had been driven far enough. "All I can do is offer my apology. Whether you take it or not is up to you, but here it is anyways." Drawing a breath, Azula finished with a defeated sounding "I'm sorry."

"You're _sorry_?" Katara echoed disbelievingly, staring at the female Firebender with an open mouth that was twisted in a way that matched her eyes in saying _'Are you kidding me?'_ Finding her voice again, the angry girl decided to continue her verbal onslaught anew,"No, you really are sorry if you think that's supposed to be good enough! See Zuko, she hasn't changed at all, she's still a crazy bitch if she thinks that _sorry_makes everything better!" Azula winced at Katara's harsh words but otherwise remained unmoving and trying to keep her composure. It wouldn't be easy if the Waterbender planned on keeping it up, which of course, she had every intention of doing.

"You nearly **killed**the Avatar, and in the Avatar state no less! You could have ended the cycle forever, but you probably either didn't realize that, or just didn't care, because that way the world would be open for you and your little Fire Nation soldiers to destroy!" She shrieked venomously as the anger filled her all over again. Even Zuko felt slightly disturbed now, being from the same nation as his sister and having his own part to play in that particular battle after all.

Katara didn't seem to pay any mind to his being in the room, however, as she went on with her rant. "And as if _that_ weren't enough, you captured Ba Sing Se, the last safe place from your little fiery claws, you've tried multiple times to kill your own brother! I mean, what kind of a psycho are you really? Huh! What kind of psycho are you that tries to kill her own _**family**_. Hell, you probably even killed your own mother and burned the body, no wonder nobody can find her. It's not like it would surprise me in the slightest you, you, you _**MONSTER**_!" Katara's furious screams echoed around Azula in the darkness, filling her head and causing her knees to tremble.

Hard as she tried, the princess could no longer keep herself together. She couldn't remember backing up until her back was against a pillar, but as her knees gave out underneath her Azula found herself sliding down the smooth marble surface as all at once, she shattered. Her entire facade of calm control and composure fell apart into teardrop shards that crashed against the floor. She couldn't help herself, couldn't stop herself from breaking down completely into a violent fit of agonizing despair. It hadn't necessarily been the Waterbender's words, hurtful as they were, that had caused it though. It was the fact that she was right. About everything. (Well, almost everything. She did not, in fact, kill her own mother, but compared to her many other faults that hardly seemed like it would make a difference.)

"Katara that is_** enough**_!" Zuko roared, using every bit of his authority (And Firebending, if the conflagration that erupted in the room was any indication) to the fullest. The girl gave an audible huff, clearly showing her dissatisfaction with being commanded in such a manner but otherwise obeying the Fire Lord's wishes. She was in his palace after all. He turned again towards his sister and felt his heart sink with a weight of pity that he had never imagined he could feel for his sibling. After all, she had been born lucky, a prodigy who garnished the envy of every citizen of the Fire Nation, trained to perfection in the art of Firebending. For longer than he could remember he had been envious of his sister, of all the attention she was given and how she never seemed to do wrong by anyone, least of all their father, which served only to infuriate the young prince more. Now all of that was gone however, and in it's place was pity. Pity, and sorrow.

"Azula?" He asked cautiously, feeling somewhat apprehensive and unsure about how to approach the girl who was now nothing more than a sorrowful heap of her former self. Zuko didn't know what to do, didn't know how to treat this broken object of his past resentments. He decided the only decent thing for him to do was to treat her not like a monster, but a person, something that had been sorely missing in his sister's life. The Fire Lord knelt down at his sister's side and placed an arm on her shoulder, immediately causing a violent jerking reaction from the girl. "Azula, please." His words, pleading as they were, were also resolute and firm as Zuko made no attempt to hide his sincere concern for his little sister.

Azula heard, and managed to take control of her emotions enough to stifle the tears with a sniffle. She opened her eyes and looked desperately to her brother, the usual fierceness of her eyes was nowhere to be found and in it's place was a tragic plea that begged for answers, for some kind of guidance or insight that might ease the burden of her conscious and ease the pain of her own tormented memories. What she found when she stared into her brother's eyes wasn't an answer, but it was comforting. Even though he couldn't help her, she knew that he at least cared. His eyes, a perfect reflection of her own and burning like embers into the night, told her that much. They told her that even if he didn't have the answers, even if he couldn't take the pain away, that he nevertheless cared about her, and wished that he could. It was enough for Azula.

"I'm scared Zuko." She told him weakly, sounding almost hollow as she spoke. "I'm scared that these nightmares will never go away, that I'll always be tormented by my own conscious and I'll never be anything more than.. than a.. a prisoner inside my own head..." Zuko could see his little sister trembling as she took another few breaths in an obvious attempt to get a hold of her emotions. That's when Azula looked up, right into her brother's golden eyes, and in the most heart-wrenching, miserably weak voice he had ever heard she asked, "What if the pain never goes away?"

That's when she started to lose the battle against her own tears that had begun pooling in her eyes, causing those amber orbs to shimmer against the dull red glow of the burning flames in what could have only been described as tragically beautiful. Glistening droplets soon began to stream down her pale cheeks, meeting at her chin and pausing briefly before breaking free and falling weightlessly, only to shatter on the black tile underfoot. It wasn't long before the floor was sparkling with thousands of the tiny liquid diamonds.

"It never does." Zuko replied solemnly, already knowing it wasn't what his sister wanted to hear but also acknowledging that it was the truth. He sat down beside her, back up against the same pillar, and with only the slightest of hesitation he reached his arm around her and placed it on her shoulder. Azula didn't even think about fighting the light pull of his arm, instead eagerly allowing herself to be brought into his compassionate warmth. Resting her head on his shoulder seemed like a good idea anyways. It was nice to have a shoulder to cry on that wasn't just a metaphor. "But it does get better." Zuko added with a reassuring certainty that could only have been born from the first hand knowledge that it was the absolute truth.

Azula felt her tears ceasing as that only recently familiar feeling of hope began once again to blossom in her chest. She knew her brother was telling her the truth because she knew he had gone through it as well. They had both been willing pawns to their father's plans for destruction, and Zuko was just as guilty of many of the same sins as Azula was. She could tell it still hurt him, even now after becoming the Fire Lord himself, just by the pain in his eyes, but she could also see that it wasn't as hard for him now as it must have been when he had first dealt with it. If Zuko could do something then there was no reason whatsoever that she couldn't, and that gave the younger sibling all the motivation she needed.

After a moment of companionable silence, and without any sort of warning, Azula threw her arms around her brother's middle and proceeded to squeeze him just as tightly as her still weakened body would allow. That 'mildly pleasant' feeling from earlier had grown, expanding into something truly... _wonderful_. It had become a soothing, warm, tingling pulse that permeated throughout her entire body, and she knew exactly who she had to thank for it, and she was clinging to him as if for dear life at that very moment.

"Thank you, Zuko. Thank you _so_much." She breathed, her words registering as just barely audible. Thankfully she was on the same side as his good ear, and he chuckled lightly in response as he returned her embrace, though with much reduced vigor than his counterpart.

"Don't mention it, 'sis. I know what you're going through, believe me, it wasn't very long ago that I-" Zuko was interrupted by his sister's head shaking and a noise of disagreement.

"No, Zuko," Azula began to clarify, giving him a fresh squeeze while trying to think of what she must have done in her last life to have gotten so lucky in this one. "Thank you for being my brother."

Zuko blanched, and as he felt the warm fuzzies expanding to conquer every corner of his body, he was already fast losing the battle of the eye, the feeling of needles stabbing from the inside heralding the tears that were sure to follow soon. He closed his eyes and bowed his head just as they started to flow and he allowed a small smile to play at his lips. "Thank you for coming back to me," He started saying as he pulled his head back up, gazing affectionately into his little sister's now sparkling golden orbs, and, before continuing on he reached up to brush a few stray strands of her raven black hair from her face and then added, "And for being my sister again."

Katara, who's presence had in all likelihood been completely forgotten at this point, stood silently and watched this display of sibling affection without ever having any true appreciation for just how rare of an act it was. Either that, or she just wasn't buying it. Katara was often the first to see the good in most people, and to offer them a second chance. This wasn't most people though. This was Azula, and had she had her way there wouldn't have been any second chances for anybody. Katara, along with all of her friends, would almost certainly have been either killed or imprisoned by the evil princess if she had won. _That psycho almost killed Aang,_She reminded herself when she felt the ever familiar rise of pity start to tug at her heartstrings, triggered by the sight of her nemesis in such a fragile state. The Waterbender clenched her eyes shut hard, steeling her mind against her own kindhearted nature. There could be no second chances.

_Not for her._

However mad Katara may have been, she was still human, and she wasn't going to press the issue right after what she had just witnessed. Whether it was true emotion or just a carefully calibrated facade, she knew she couldn't win an argument just then. Even if it was a lie, Azula was a good enough liar to keep it up even under pressure, and Katara knew that. She also knew that, in the end, Zuko would side with his sister whom he'd just shared tears with over her. The Waterbender would just have to bite her lip and bide her time. _If she's lying, she'll slip up sooner or later,_ Katara convinced herself, hoping she could expose the monster for what she was before any real damage could be done to the free people of the world. _I just hope it's sooner._

The sound of Katara clearing her throat brought everybody's attention back into focus. Azula gave her older brother one final look of gratitude and he returned it with a smile and a slight nod that silently said 'your welcome.' He was a big brother after all, and even after what had transpired between them, his first and foremost duty was still to his little sister. It was the least he could do. Brother and sister withdrew their respective arms and slowly they stood, balancing themselves on the great big pillar they had both shared while on the floor.

"I suppose I've wasted enough of your time, oh Fire Lord, and I really should be going." Azula announced with a hint of her old sarcastic vernacular that forced a smirk from Zuko. It was the little things that told him she was going to be alright that really counted. The princess glanced in Katara's direction briefly before adding, "I'm sure Mai would appreciate somebody saving her from Ty Lee as well." A group laugh followed this remark, one out of genuine humor, the other out of support, and the third just to play along.

"Can we expect you to join us later tonight for your welcome home dinner? I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty to arrange something special to celebrate." Zuko informed his sister as he made his way back towards his throne. Azula nodded, warming at the idea of a full, hot meal, the likes of which she hadn't enjoyed in over a year.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Zuzu." She replied coyly as she tidied her green kimono, brushing some dust off and pulling a few strands of hair from the fabric. "I will of course need some extra time to get myself presentable. I haven't had a proper bath in over a year and my hair won't last another day without combing. I'm sure you understand."

"Oh we wouldn't _dare_start without your highness at her most excellent." Katara jeered with no attempt at hiding the biting sarcasm. The bitterness of her voice was practically dripping off of her tongue as she spoke and infecting the air between them with a palpable hatred. Azula gave her old adversary a cursory glance as she allowed herself to smile smugly. She had won this round, and she knew it. The Waterbender wouldn't risk another fight, verbal or otherwise, as long as Zuko was around.

"Splendid. See you both then." Azula said in farewell with a falsely pleasant tone that she knew would eat away at the water tribe girl. A sideways glance told her that she had accomplished this, and with that, she turned and began walking towards the exit with carefully placed, fluidly silent steps that made her appear to almost glide over the black tiles. She approached the grand, elegant doors of the throne room and with a push she slipped through the opening and disappeared into the darkness beyond, leaving only the _clang_of the door behind her to reverberate throughout the room.

Katara seethed at those parting words, or perhaps it was more due to the fact there was nothing she could do about them at the moment. She made another audible huff of discontent as Zuko took to his throne, and he already knew from past experience what was about to come next. After living with his sister for as long as he had, most other people were surprisingly easy for him to read.

"Katara, don't..." He tried to start, but he had lost that battle before it had begun.

"I can't believe you're so willing to just accept her back after everything that happened! I mean, come on Zuko, even _you_ aren't _that_dense!" She shouted vehemently, the frustration now clear and unbridled in her voice, like waves crashing against a cliff side.

"Katara you don't understand-"

"No you don't seem to understand! She'll probably kill you in your sleep so she can take the throne and then what? She'll start the war right back up again and finish it for good." Fumed the Waterbender, no longer even caring that she could easily be heard by anybody who wished to snoop outside the door.

"I have it under control, you don't need to worry about it." Zuko replied surprisingly loud through his gritted teeth, trying to keep his calm but clearly losing as he found it impossible to get a word in edgewise in his own throne room. At this claim of control Katara only scoffed in disbelief, almost mockingly, as if the very idea that he could get anything under control, especially his sister, was a joke in and of itself.

"Under control? You have it _under control_? That's supposed to make me feel better about this! Exactly how do you have this under control?" She demanded, for the moment giving up on trying to argue any sense into her friend.

"You don't need to worry about it." Was the Fire Lord's cold response, and he turned his head away to hide his face. If the waterbender could have seen his eyes, she would have seen the hurt, the shame, and the regret, and it only would have turned her anger into worry. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could he added, "That will be all for now, Katara." He said those last words with an iron resoluteness that meant she had better drop the subject and remove herself from his presence, lest she tempt the anger of a Fire Lord. They may have been friends, so it was sometimes easy to forget, but Zuko was the leader of a nation, and with but a word he could have her hauled off to some dungeon, or worse. Of course, he would never do something so harsh out of anger towards her, but still, sometimes even Katara had to accept that people had their limits and should never be pushed beyond them. Aang was all the proof she needed of that.

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." Katara acquiesced hesitantly, and the words left a harsh, acerbic taste in her mouth as well as the room. Zuko could feel just as well as hear the frustration still boiling inside of the Waterbender as she made her way to the exit, but he didn't care. He was through arguing with her about that particular subject. He had his own demons to face up to, and he knew it wouldn't be easy.

* * *

><p>"So you're sure this is what you want to do then?" Mai asked in her usual tired monotone. If it were anybody else, they probably never would have noticed the minute differences in her voice that signified her concern. Ty Lee, however, could hear it clear as day, and it meant a lot to her that her friend, while not at all agreeing with her decision, still cared enough about her to question it.<p>

"It's the only way Mai." The acrobat, arms wrapped around her middle, said with a desperation born of uncertainty. Her friend gave her an uncertain look, silently offering that there was an alternative, even if it was one the acrobat was unwilling to accept, and Ty Lee felt a knot twisting in her stomach at the very thought of what she was conveying. "I can't do it, I just can't! She's changed too much Mai. You should see it, she really is happier now. We can be happy together, I know we can."

"What if she hasn't though? We've both seen her 'happy' before, and then the next day she wants to kill someone. You're not thinking straight here, Ty Lee. You're letting your own trusting nature and desires that she _could_be a better person cloud your judgement. The reality is that she's mentally unstable, and mental illnesses don't just go away. They recede for a while, weeks, months, sometimes even years, but sooner or later it will come boiling back up to the surface, and then what? What if nobody's there to save you Ty Lee, have you ever thought about that?" Mai demanded with an urgent forcefulness as an alien anger flashed across her brown eyes. She didn't have any trouble regaining control over them, but the very slip of emotion was enough to convey that she was truly upset about this.

When Ty Lee failed to answer right away, the Fire Lady sighed and bowed her head, clearly not wanting to have to go where she was about to but seeing no other alternative. "Do you think she would have the same qualms about killing you as you do with her?" At that the acrobat squeezed herself and clenched her eyes to fight the tears. It bore into her with it's hideousness, but what truly disgusted her was not knowing what bothered her more, the question, or the answer?

"I can't do it Mai! I won't! I don't know whether she would or not, but it doesn't matter because I'm not her, I'm me! And _I'm_ not going to do it. How could I ever live with myself, always wondering _what if it would have worked out_? What if we _could_have made something lasting, but knowing that I ruined the only chance I ever had to find out. It would tear me apart!" Ty Lee wailed, no longer caring to contain the swell of tears that were spilling down her cheeks. Her friend looked at her with pity, or at least what counted as pity for her, but said nothing, could find nothing to say that she thought might help. After a moment of silence the shaking acrobat added quietly, "I'd rather die by her hand than die without her."

Mai nodded silently and cast her eyes down to the floor, showing that she understood and was even sorry for pushing her friend like that. "I just wanted to make sure this was really what you wanted to do Ty." She explained, careful not to invoke any more unstable emotions from the girl in pink, who now looked up with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes.

"It is Mai. I know it is, it's the only way." Ty Lee meagerly replied, as if trying just as much to convince herself as she was her friend. The Fire Lady held a hand up to let her know she didn't need to say anymore.

"Alright, I'll help you. Just don't go making a-"

"Really? Oh Mai, thank you thank you thank you! You're such a good friend!" The acrobat squealed in elation as she jumped the distance between them in a heartbeat and wrapped her arms around an annoyed but expectant Mai.

"A big deal out of it." She mumbled, more of an afterthought than anything else. With a defeated sigh she reached up to touch her friend's elbows, the closest thing to a hug most people could ever get from the knife-thrower.

"Well isn't this just touching?" Came a familiar voice from the doorway that neither girl could seem to remember leaving open. They gave each other worried looks, unsure of exactly how long she could have been standing there and how much she may have heard. The pair both turned their attention to the door, deciding that standing there frozen without responding would only make them look more guilty. A wave of relief washed over them as they saw the expression on the princess' face was one of amusement without a hint of anger or suspicion. Deciding they were in the clear for now, Ty Lee rushed over to give Azula a hug before starting her interrogation as to how the meeting with Zuko had gone.

"So how did it go, Azula?" The girl inquired as she pulled away, staring at her friend with big soft blue eyes wide in wonder and excitement. Sometimes it seemed as though just about anything and everything was a major, world changing event to the girl, or at least that's what Azula thought when she looked upon Ty Lee. It had just been a reunion with her brother after one year, for the love of Agni, what could the girl possibly think had happened?

"Well I'm not being thrown out by the guards, so one can assume it went decently." The princess replied with a humorous sarcasm, which helped serve to further increase her friend's high spirits. The acrobat could tell by the way in which she had responded that Azula had no intentions of going over the details, not just yet anyways. If it hadn't been for Mai being in the room, Ty Lee was certain she could coax the information out, but things being as they were she wasn't going to push the issue.

"It could always be arranged." Came Mai's intoned retort, but despite the lack of any emotion Azula still heard the threat in her words, and she could almost taste the resentment radiating from her ex-friend. The Firebender turned her attention towards the girl with an indiscernible curiosity glinting across her amber eyes.

"I wouldn't want you to over-exert yourself, Mai. I know how big of a deal that can be for you." The princess taunted smugly, finding a perverse joy in knowing there wasn't a thing the Fire Lady could so long as she had the Fire Lord's blessing to be there. Mai knew this for the truth it was, and it infuriated her to no end that there was nothing she could do more than glare and spit hurtful words. Starting a fight in the palace wasn't a good idea, as it was very unbecoming of a wife to royalty. Still, she entertained the notion as she fingered the sharp tip of one of her shuriken's underneath her large, overly baggy sleeve.

"I could always have Ty Lee knock you out again, then you wouldn't be very hard to haul out of here." Was her biting comeback, retaliating with the proverbial fire to fight fire. Judging by the sudden scowl on her opponent's face, she decided it had worked.

"Hey now!" Ty Lee interrupted, sensing a nasty fight coming on fast as well as feeling the need to defend her own name. Neither girl said anything, waiting for their mutual friend to continue, but the ensuing stare down placed a thick blanket of discomfort in the air. "Why do you guys have to be so mean to each other? Can't we just go back to being friends?" She pleaded to both of her friends, but the hate-filled expressions never softened.

"Friends? We were never friends Ty Lee, only tools." Mai said in disgust, with those last couple words coming out as more of a growl. Without even realizing it, she had struck a nerve she never knew she could, and Azula's face turned ashen with guilt. She started to try and say something, but all she could manage was a choking stutter before she turned and disappeared into the hallway. Eyebrow's raised in surprise, that was clearly a reaction the knife-thrower hadn't expected. Ty Lee spun on her with a new and very alien rage burning in her eyes. Mai might not have been scared of Azula anymore, but the little girl in pink was a different story. The acrobat opened her mouth to say something, anything, to scream in rage at the tops of her lungs, but she hesitated.

"How could you?" She finally managed, her voice low and trembling along with her body as she fought to control her anger. Without so much as another word she too took off out of the room to console her distraught love, leaving the Fire Lady to sit, bewildered and somewhat ashamed, in her chamber. She thought fleetingly about chasing after the two herself, but decided better against it. In all her experience with Azula, it was almost always best to let the princess regain her composure before confronting her about anything.

Ty Lee made her way down the corridors at a light jog, determined to catch up to her princess. _She must have ran off in a hurry_, the girl thought to herself when she rounded the next corner and found another empty passageway. At the end of this hall was a set of large, wooden double doors that she knew all too well. As she reached them, she came to a hault and knocked lightly, a force of habit more than anything else. After a moment without any answer, she listened intently for any sounds that might betray Azula's presence, but let out her breath in disappointment when she heard nothing.

When Ty Lee turned to leave, however, she could have sworn she heard a sharp, quick gasping from beyond the door. Her curiosity getting the best of her (as it often did), she decided she would open the door, just a tad, to make sure. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Ty Lee quietly pushed the door open just enough to poke her small, oval head through. It was fairly dark, with what seemed like only one candle trying (but failing) to light the entire room. It didn't make much difference, as familiarity soon set in to fill in the dark spots. She could make out the table with the mirror on it, although it looked slightly different than she remembered in the low lighting. Her eyes trailed along across the room, finding the overly sized bed laden with silk centered on the far wall.

Another gasping noise caught her attention, and she pushed her head past the door so she could see the side of the room that it had been blocking. The curtains framing the archway that led out to the princess' private balcony were flowing gently in a midnight breeze, and squinting her eyes to see past them, Ty Lee could just barely make out the crumpled form of her love. Another small noise permeated the night air and the balled up silhouette's shoulders heaved up and down. The acrobat's heart sank, and she slid the rest of her body into the room before silently shutting the door behind her, then made her way to the balcony to console her distraught friend.

"Azula?" She called out cautiously, letting her presence be known before she reached the princess. The girl didn't seem to notice though, as she failed to pay her friend any attention and instead continued to sob softly. Ty Lee stopped just a few feet shy of Azula and looked upon the sight with pity weighing heavily on her heart. "Azula please.." She pleaded softly as she knelt down and placed a warm hand on Azula's shoulder. The Firebender jerked suddenly at this unexpected contact, but as her tear-filled eyes recognized the face of her friend turned lover she dismissed the instinct to attack.

"What are you doing here Ty Lee?" Azula asked faintly, almost as if to herself more than her friend.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok, and to cheer you up. You look like you need it." Ty Lee replied kindly, happy to be there for her princess whenever she was sad or hurt.

"That's not what I meant. I mean why are you _here_? Why are you with me?" The melancholy girl demanded hotly. So off guard to such a question was Ty Lee that she found herself completely dumbstruck and her face went blank as she failed to find the words to respond with. Azula went on to sullenly add, "Mai was right you know, all I ever did was treat you both like tools, and when you both defied me I was ready to kill you without a second thought. You aren't safe with me Ty Lee, and one way or another you will end up dead if you stay." The words left a bitter taste in Azula's mouth, but however bitter they may have been for her to speak, they were infinitely harder for Ty Lee to hear.

"Why am I hear?" Repeated Ty Lee in a raised voice while simultaneously choking back the lump that was growing in her throat and ignoring the stinging sensation that assaulted her eyes from within. "I'm here because I want to be here, I want to be with you! I already told you, I don't care what happens as long as we're together, that even if I die tomorrow at your hands I'll still love you!" Exclaimed the trembling acrobat with a sad but stern tone. Her voice became low and husky when next she asked, "I thought you loved me too?"

"I do Ty Lee, I swear it I do!" Azula shot back defensively.

"Then why are you always trying to push me away!" Cried Ty Lee, confusion and frustration seeping through her every word. Azula didn't respond right away, instead biting her lip and avoiding her friend's gaze at all costs. It was only when the girl beside her drew breath to carry on that the princess found her resolve.

"Because I don't want to see you get hurt!" The distraught Firebender blurted out, a look of desperation and grief flashing across her face. Ty Lee looked down with a semi-disappointed, doleful look on her face at this unexpected declaration. With a light sigh and a weak smile, the girl in pink knelt down to sit on one of the many large, plush pillows that adorn the princess' balcony, all the while receiving a frightened look of anticipation from her best friend.

"Azula, you're going to have to do better than that to get rid of me ya know." Ty Lee informs her with a tired sigh.

"I'm serious Ty Lee, you heard what that merchant said. What do you think the chances are that I'm a target as well?" Azula inquired weakly.

"That's all the more reason to make me stick around, 'Zula!" She shot back. The princess' attempt to scare her friend off with the threat of assassin's accomplished just the opposite, as evidenced by her coy follow up, "If it's true then someone has to stick around and watch your flabby white behind."

Azula's jaw dropped as she tried but failed to think of something to come back with, all to the delight of her acrobatic friend who was now giggling like a giddy school girl. Finally a devious smirk crosses the Firebender's face as a fitting response to her friend's crude remark surfaces in her mind. Suddenly standing and without any form of warning, she snatches the still giggling girl's hand and slaps it to her bottom.

"How is this for flabby!" Azula demands with a playfully comepetitive demeanor. It was now Ty Lee's turn to become flabbergasted, however she didn't take nearly as long adjusting to the situation as her counterpart had. With a flirtatious smile to match her actions, the girl in pink squeezed the cheek her hand was placed upon, more or less proving her point.

"Ha! Told ya 'Zula, you've gone _soft_." She taunted, eliciting a look of shock that was quickly accompanied by a reddening flush on the face of Azula. Seeing her victory near at hand, Ty Lee made the final push to send the princess over the edge. "Squishy squish squish..." The girl taunted, squeezing and releasing her hand in tandem with her words.

Reaching her own hand around, Azula decided that two could play at this game. "Oh and I suppose _you're_ just _soOo_... tight..." Her attempt at ridicule, while cute, was sadly short lived as her hand squeezed a cheek that felt more like iron wrapped in flesh than actual human anatomy. Ty Lee only laughed triumphantly, seeing the fight die in her lover's eyes as she accepted her defeat. "Spirits be damned, Ty Lee, what the hell happened to you?" The princess asked incredulously and with a dumbfounded look still plastered on her face.

"Those Kyoshi girls really know how to work you." Ty Lee boasted with a suggestive wink of one of those soft, pale blue eyes of hers. Silence fell over the two, one out of bewilderment and the other of expectant patience. Sure enough, as the moon's pale light splayed out over the landscape, low in the early night sky and bathing the pair with it's radiant phosphorescence, a wave of lust washed over them, raising goosebumps on their skin and planting a seed of tingling warmth in their bellies.

Predatory hunger mixed with desire flashed across Azula's eyes as Ty Lee trembled with an expectant, uncontrollable longing. The acrobat didn't notice, and the princess didn't remember placing her free hand on the nape of her friend's neck, but it didn't matter as the pair found their faces drawing ever nearer, Ty Lee unconsciously allowing her head to be pulled forward as Azula's warm hand acted without thought. A hushed whimper of anticipation escaped the acrobat's lips just before they were consumed by the fiery tempest of her lover's kiss.

Sweet and plush met hot and fierce in a battle of lascivious passion, a torrent of succulent juices and fiery fervor that left the duo breathless and craving more. Gasping for breath during a brief pause, they began their assault of lips anew, all the while groping with their hands still affixed firmly to each others backsides, one soft and malleable the other firm and toned. It was Azula who's tongue charged the ramparts first, laying siege to pearly white walls of Ty Lee, although a shorter lived seige there never was, as the walls fell swiftly, granting access to the ambrosial maw within. It was there that the sole defender of the keep met the lone assailant in a duel of agonizing ardor, twisting and tangling with one another in an unbroken and overzealous dance. Sizzling, moist tongues slid up and against and over each other, eager to taste the other in it's entirety, to find what savory secrets the other held and to relish the intense flavor for eternity.

To his credit, he _did_knock. Hell, he even called out the princess' name before he entered, but his life being the great cosmic joke that it was, nobody on the other side of the door ever heard his advance. Entering the room, the first thing he noticed was how dark the room was, with just one meager and more than half melted candle failing miserably to illuminate everything. The second thing he noticed was the soft sound of feminine moaning and whimpering out on the balcony. For as smart as he was, he completely failed to put two and two together, and very soon he would pay the price for his blunder. Following the noise, he turned towards the archway to the private balcony and drew breath.

"Heya Azuuu..laa...uhhh.." Sokka found the two girls tangled in each others arms with their lips locked and hands planted possessively onto each others bottoms. At the sound of someone else's voice Azula's eyes shot open and over to stare at the dark skinned male with some cross between shock and horror in them as the rest of her was still occupied with Ty Lee, who never seemed to notice the entrance of a third party. It wasn't until she realized her lover's tongue had frozen in the midst of combat that the acrobat opened her own eyes to find their onlooker staring wide eyed and open mouthed, his jaw nearly falling off of it's hinges.

"I'll, uh, I'll just be, uh... dinnerinanhour!" He managed to squeak out nervously before turning on his heels to flee from the two girls, who were still very much entangled and preoccupied with each others limbs. He flew out of the doorway and down the hall, cursing everyone and everything he could think of. The spirits who found humor in constantly tormenting him and his so called "friends" who had sent him on this errand in the first place being at the forefront of his verbal onslaught.

"Just go check on her and make sure she's alright _Sokka_!" He turned a corner sharply, glancing sideways just before he slipped past and catching sight of a pink figure rushing after him. After a quick, worried yelp he continued on with his rant, "Just tell her dinner will be ready, _Sokka!_" He dashed past some tapestries with enough speed to rustle them in their places a bit. "What could possibly go wrong, _SOKKA!_" In all his griping, he never even noticed the small green and yellow clad figure leaning against the wall as he blew by, nor did he hear the pleading calls for him to wait. Running for his life from Azula was a familiar feeling and had always in the past proved to be the smartest move. Where the hell was Aang when you needed him?

Ty Lee came bounding down the hall just a few seconds behind Sokka, determination etched into her features. She had to catch him before he could tell anybody what he saw, as spirits only knew what kind of hell would break loose if her and Azula's secret got out. In her distracted sprint, she too failed to notice the small person leaning against the wall, "watching" in amusement at the two fools chasing each other. When Sokka ran past, the girl was simply puzzled as to what the idiot was doing this time, but when Ty Lee came rushing after him, she decided that whatever was happening was probably more fun than standing around doing nothing.

"Hey cool, it's time to chase Snoozles!" The small girl in green and yellow called out to nobody in particular as she took off in a dead sprint after the two. Left to her own two legs, the little girl never would have caught anything, but with a decisive stomp of one of her feet a pillar of stone shot out of the ground under her other one, shooting her forward at a speed far surpassing either of the other two.

She flew past Ty Lee as nothing more than a green and yellow missile, tearing through the air at an almost frightening speed and overshooting Sokka just a few seconds later. Still hurtling through the air but far past her target, the flying girl flipped in mid-air so that her feet were leading, and the instant she felt them make contact with the wall ahead of her, she bent her knees to disperse most of the momentum, then wasted no time in leaping down to the floor beneath.

Sokka had noticed the girl fly past him, and he could already tell from the stance she had adopted what she was about to do, and he didn't like the idea one bit. "Toph! No, don't doitthey'llkillmeee!" He cried out desperately, terror and adrenaline causing his words to come out as one jumbled mess. His plea went unheeded, much to his dismay, and with a mischevious grin Toph threw her arms forward then quickly brought them up. The water tribe boy had to grind his heels into the ground to stop himself from smashing into the wall of solid rock that erupted in front of him.

"_ToOoophh_..." He whined pathetically, his voice reaching a note higher than any male's ever should, as someone who was supposed to be his "friend" just handed him over to a girl who in all likelihood wanted to kill him. It wasn't long before he felt the quick, sharp jabs to his back that signalled he was caught. Just like all the times before, he went dead limp and collapsed, though luckily Ty Lee was kind enough to grab him before he hit the floor. It was only then that the wall of stone came down, revealing a very self satisfied Toph grinning like a madwoman on the other side, a sense of triumph radiating out of her pale, milky green eyes.

"HA! Caught ya Snoozles." She boasted haughtily, feeling a little too proud of herself for something as simple as catching the non-bender of the Gaang, especially in an enclosed area such as the corridor's of the Fire Nation's Palace.

"Toph, you're supposed to be MY friend! They're going to kill me!" Griped Sokka, sounding every bit the child who had lost in a game.

"Pfft," Toph waved her hand dismissively in conjunction with the sound she made, not worried in the slightest for her friend's safety, "You'll be fine, Snoozles. You gotta stop worrying so much. If Bubbles here is chasing after you, she probably has a good reason to." The blind Earthbender stated matter of factually, knowing firsthand of her compatriot's knack for getting into mischief, especially when the lady-folk were involved. As this thought occured to her, she pointed an accusatory finger at the adolescent boy and jeered, "What was it this time, she catch you watchin' her get dressed?"

"What! No, Toph, that's not it-"

"Peepin' on her in the bath?"

"She's not even wet!"

"So what was it then Snoozles?"

"He caught her with me." Azula's voice cut the informal interrogation short as the cautious princess came walking slowly up to the group in the hallway. Toph could feel from the vibrations in the floor that Sokka's heart had skipped more than a few beats when he heard the girl's voice, and suddenly his claims of 'they're going to kill me' didn't seem quite so far-fetched anymore.

"What did he catch you two doing that has him scared witless?" The blind girl demanded hotly while her feet slowly slid apart, almost in a ready stance in case of trouble. She cursed herself in her head for being dumb enough to set the odds against her by putting Sokka out of commission, but she didn't let it put her off. Two against one were acceptable odds for the world's greatest Earthbender, afterall.

Azula, never one to be caught offguard, noticed immediately the half-assed combat stance that the small girl had shifted into and immediately she raised a placating hand. The last thing she wanted to do was start a fight in the Palace, especially with the Avatar's friends, and despite whatever the water tribe peasant might have thought, she had no intentions of hurting him.

"Please, we mean no harm," the Firebender assured her old adversary, only realizing afterwards how odd the words sounded coming from her mouth, and based on the blind girl's reaction, how hopelessly unconvincing she must have been, and so she quickly added, "Just.. come with us, I'll explain it all if we just head back to my room." A tense, silent standoff ensued in the moments following Azula's request, and sighing she added as an afterthought, "Please."

She was starting to find that little word more and more useful as, much to her astonishment, Azula watched the tension slowly easing out of the blind girl's body, though understandably never completely relaxing. After another few seconds of silent contemplation, Toph begrudgingly accepted the offer.

"Alright, fine. We'll do it your way, Princess Sparkles," She paused to assess the raised eyebrow look of surprise and amused annoyance that imprinted itself on the other girl's face before continuing, "but if I feel so much as one threatening vibration I'll smack you with a rock so hard and so fast it just might knock some sanity into that big head of yours!" Toph's profound threat/insult combo left the Firebending prodigy simply stunned and still trying to make sense of her new monicker. After just an instant of shocked silence, Azula was at least able to make out that the little blind girl had agreed to her request, which was good enough for her. She'd figure out the rest later.

"Thank you..." Try as she might, all the princess could do was draw a blank.

"That's Toph Bei Fong, greatest Earthbender in the world and **don't you forget it!**" The green clad girl was more than happy to inform her old enemy, announcing her name with all the vigor and enthusiasm that she rightly deserved, at least in her own mind.

"Right, well, Toph Bei Fong, greatest Earthbender in the world, I, Princess Azula of the house of Agni, soul heiress to the throne of the Fire Nation, do thank you for your compliance in this matter." Azula gleefully matched her ex-adversary's overzealous tone with her own pompous display of unnecessary titles. Before Toph had a chance to shoot out a comeback, a long since forgotten voice spoke up.

"Oh, yeah, thank you _soOo_much TOPH! Traitor!" Sokka's incessant complaining reminded everybody present of why they were actually standing there in one of the Palace's many corridor's. After exchanging consenting glances, the two benders put their 'friendly discussion' on hold and made their way back towards the princess' bedchamber. Once inside, no time was wasted in shutting the door and locking it, granting the group the privacy they would require.

Sokka, still being a paralyzed vegetable and completely unable to sit or stand of his own accord, was arbitrarily tossed onto Azula's bed, effectively ending any complaints that may have been perched on the young man's tongue as he, in spite of himself, found incredible warmth and comfort in the velvety smooth, silken sheets of crimson that decorated the princess' bed. That's when he realized he was lying on _Azula's_ bed, and he cursed himself for enjoying it as much as he did, and as he did that he was struck by the sudden epiphany that he was lying on Azula's _bed_, and the man part of his brain kicked in, despite all the hatred and animosity that he harbored for his old nemesis, and he couldn't help but think of all the impure but oh-so-fun things that could be done in a bed this plush with a girl that crazy. So, as the war inside Sokka's head raged full boar, the three girls in the room had a hushed conversation in a corner away from the door, just in case.

"Alright, here we are Princess Sparkles, so spill it; what'd num-nuts see that made Bubbles here feel the need to chase him down and pop him with the no-go chi-flow?" Toph inquired, making full use of her rather unique vernacular that Azula was as amazed as she was amused by. The simple fluidity with which the blind girl was able to come up with nick-names and appellations was astounding to the Firebender, and not at all that different from her own ability to manufacture concrete, foolproof lies for any occasion, right on the spot. There was something about this little Earthbender that Azula just couldn't quite explain, couldn't put her finger on yet at the same time, she knew one thing for sure; she liked it, and she liked her. Not in the same way she liked Ty Lee, no, but certainly in a way that placed her on the 'people I don't hate and feel the overpowering urge to kill' list. Suffice to say, it was a very, very short list.

"Err, right... the peas- Sokka, he... you see he walked in on me and Ty Lee... Ty Lee and I, that is..." For the first time in her life, Azula found herself struggling to find the words she needed. Toph appeared less than amused, and after waiting patiently and hearing only stuttering and stalling, she decided to employ her own special form of persuasion.

"Spit it out already Sparkles!" She hollered in a brazen, forceful tone that teetered on the border between a boy's and a girl's voice and once again left the princess both impressed and offended. Shaking her head in amusement, Azula allowed a smirk to play at her lips and with a sigh of acceptance, she decided there was no reason to keep anything from this intriguing little Earthbender.

"He caught us kissing." She stated flatly, as if it wasn't anything out of the ordinary at all. Ty Lee's response was a self-conscious rubbing of her own arms while glancing worriedly at Toph, who, to her credit, _appeared_to be handling this information in a mature, adult fashion. Appeared to be. In truth, she was actually still processing what she had heard, and when it clicked all semblance of self control and maturity went straight out the window.

"You two were _kissing!_" The little blind girl shouted nearly loud enough for the other side of the Palace to hear. This little outburst had, at the very least, snapped a certain someone out of a certain naughty day dream for just long enough to toss in his 3 cents (Sokka having long ago increased the value of his opinion, at least in his own mind).

"Oh yeah Toph, they were going at it good! Like a Komodo-Rhino and a Moose-Lion tearing into each other I tell ya." Sokka's cajoling remark was met with two angry glares and a fit of laughter, but before anyone could reprimand him he added, "I'll leave you to guess who had the horns... and the tail! HA, ohh man I kill me." If he could have, he would have wiped at his eyes to add to the effect, but things being as they were, he could only chuckle to himself, though it was very short lived.

"One more word out of you, _little boy_, and you won't have to worry about killing yourself anymore." Azula intoned menacingly, making full use of the fear she knew he still had for her. A healthy fear, if you asked her. Being the smart little boy he was, Sokka's only response was an audible _gulp_followed by some innocent whistling.

"So you guys were really, _at each others throats_, eh?" Toph quipped, much to the amusement of Sokka who was bold enough to snicker with almost no attempt at hiding it, despite the death threat he had received not a minute before. Toph herself was unabashedly grinning from ear to ear, always happy with herself whenever she made a joke to match the warrior's.

"Good one Toph!" Cheered the water tribe boy with no concern for the hole he was digging for himself. Even if the war was over for a year now, this was and always would be an enemy room, and he was lying on an enemy bed, with the enemy standing not 10 feet away. Sokka would learn, one of these days, of that he was certain. What wasn't quite as certain of was whether he would live to see that day. At the rate he was going, safe bets were on 'probably not.'

Ty Lee and Azula themselves couldn't help but smile, and at one point the Firebender even had to fight the urge to laugh outright. Whereas Sokka's joke had annoyed and even infuriated the princess, she found Toph's to be genuinely comical, with a strange blend of subtlety and blatancy that was impossible to explain, but hilarious nonetheless. Azula couldn't honestly remember the last time any joke had made her laugh legitimately. Just another reason to like this blind Earthbender, she supposed.

"Yes, Ty Lee and I were kissing... passionately." She confessed, her regal voice alone being enough to silence the commotion in the room.

"Cool..." Replied Toph dreamily, forgetting herself for a moment.

"Excuse me?" Azula inquired warily, giving the girl in green another raised eyebrow look.

"I mean, that's cool, who am I to judge, nobody that's who." She shot back, almost sounding nervous after her slip of tongue. Despite not being able to see, Toph could still feel the looks of puzzlement she was receiving from the two older girls, and so before either could question her further she explained, "Look, I don't care if you two want to do the horizontal rockalanche together, I really don't. I can also understand you not wanting blabbermouth over there going around and telling everybody." She pointed to indicate the mouth in question before continuing, "But you guys _will_have to tell the others at some point."

This wasn't anything the two lovers didn't already know themselves, and after exchanging knowing looks with one another, Ty Lee responded, "We know Tophy, and we plan on it, we really do. It's just... well, we aren't sure how they'll take it and we don't want them to hate us for loving each other but we can't just not love each other there's no way and well we really were just hoping to tell them when the time is right and maybe not all at once because if we tell them one at a time at least we could subdue them if they get mad at us but all at once we couldn't take them all not without somebody getting hurt -"

"Ty Lee!" Azula and Toph exclaimed in unison as the acrobat's pitch reached an excruciatingly high level, both hearing the train as it was derailing and seeing the need to intervene before the poor girl lost a lung or suffered an aneurism.

"Breath, dammit woman, breath! Just take it easy okay? Nobody's judging you here, it's alright, you just need to relax." Toph's reassuring words seemed to help calm the high-strung girl in pink, at least to a bearable extent. Azula was more than happy to lend a comforting hand to Ty Lee as well, squeezing her shoulder tenderly and giving her a concerned but supportive look. With a few calming breaths, she slowly centered herself and was able to think clearly and competently once more.

"Sorry." Ty Lee offered sheepishly as her face grew warmer and her cheeks flushed.

"It's alright Ty. We all know how you can be a little... impetuously neurotic, at times." Her lover's attempt at relieving her embarrassment didn't work quite as well as the princess had probably hoped, as the feeling of humiliation from her giddy outburst was quickly replaced by a feeling of stupidity for not knowing what the _hell_her best friend had just called her. Remembering old habits though, the acrobat decided that whatever Azula had said about her, it wasn't meant to be insulting, so nodding and agreeing was probably, just like the old days, the best response.

"Don't worry Ty Lee, I don't know what the hell she just said either." As if reading the girl's thoughts, Sokka's voice came from the bed with yet another failed attempt at comedy. He did, however, to his credit, succeed in making her feel genuinely better about the situation. At least she wasn't the only one. Toph probably didn't know what the words meant either, but her head being thicker than the rocks she commanded, she would never admit such a thing. After a swift and short lived group chuckle, the discussion was put back on track, once again, by the blind littler Earthbending girl in green and yellow.

"So, do you guys have any plans for telling everyone else, or are you just gonna spring this news on them when you see a good opening?" She pried eagerly, picking the interrogation up right where it had left off, as if she could simply scroll up and re-read the conversation to ensure she didn't ask something bizarre or completely random that didn't seem to fit at all with the direction of their discussion. For just a brief second, life felt like it was simply scripted, all of her actions predetermined by somebody else's imagination and documented on some guy's laptop; not that she had any idea what a laptop was. She had a pretty strong feeling it was silver in color though (despite the fact she had absolutely no idea what silver, or even color for that matter, was).

"Well, there isn't any real sense in keeping it as some big secret." Azula explained plainly, as if giving a lecture or going over some basic strategy at a war meeting, all the while trying to convince herself of what the best course of action would be. "We'll reveal our little secret at dinner tonight," Pausing just briefly to raise a forestalling finger to Ty Lee who, if the small _eep_that escaped her was any indication, was less than pleased with her idea, Azula carried on with her explanation, "I believe it will be the best way. Telling everybody at once does a number of things in our favor, first and foremost being it will reveal who supports and who opposes the idea, clearly defining our allies from our enemies, figuratively speaking. Our little Rock Hopper here is proof that at least not everybody we know is a bigot, and it would be nice to know who else shares her open mindedness.

The next most beneficial aspect of making the big reveal at tonight's dinner would be preventing slander or rumors from spreading. If everybody hears it at once, then nobody can go telling anyone about it because everybody will already know." Finishing her monologue with an odd sense of pride, Azula noticed Ty Lee still bordering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, so she quickly offered a reassuring smile. "Trust me Ty Lee, this is the best way."

"I just... I'm not so sure... what if they..." Her worries trailed off along with her words as she found herself in the arms of her best friend, a soft, loving embrace that melted her fears away like ice in the Fire Nation. "Okay." Was all she could manage to whisper into Azula's ear, her hot breath tickling the Firebender's velvet skin enticingly. If only the other two hadn't been present, they could have picked up right where they left off...

"She's right you know." Once again, the all but forgotten male's voice rose up from the silk laden bed and the girls all turned to stare at him incredulously before he explained himself. "Her argument makes sense anyways, I can't find any immediate holes in the idea, and for what it's worth, I'll support you two." Jaws dropped and eyes widened at this seemingly simple statement.

"You do?" The two lovers asked in unison, though their tones couldn't have been more different. Whereas Ty Lee's voice was upbeat and hopeful, Azula's sounded completely skeptical and disbelieving with an expression to match.

"Hey, what can I say? If two pretty girls want to make out and touch each other, well I just can't bring myself to argue against it." Sokka intoned in an only too familiar sarcastic tone, unfortunately it wasn't that familiar to the two girls in question. He would learn one of these days. He was certain of it.

Before either of the now enraged lovers could tear into Sokka (both literally and verbally), Toph, once again, stepped up to save the water tribe warrior's sorry skin.

"Hold on ladies, please." She raised her hands in a placating gesture, not necessarily trying to prevent the slaughter, just simply wanting a fair shot at defending him. "There's only one thing you need to know about Snoozles there; he's the meat and sarcasm guy. Chances are, if he isn't stuffing his face with meat, he's probably being sarcastic." As if to prove her point, The girls glanced over to see the young man giving two weak thumbs up, displaying just about all the strength that had returned to him with the short lived gesture. "And while his heart's usually in the right place, that pea-brain of his is almost always in the wrong ones." Her little joke (though it was completely true) elicited fresh bouts of laughter from the two girls who recognized this truth for what it was.

"That's just Sokka for you, and even though he's thinking with the wrong head, he's talking from the right place. When the time comes, he'll support you guys, and so will I." Toph declared adamantly, though it was somehow less than surprising to those who heard it. Azula, while expecting this from the blind Earthbender, was still puzzled by exactly _why_ an old enemy of hers was being so... _supportive_to her.

"Toph?" The Firebender asked warily, the name still sounding alien and unfamiliar on her tongue. The blind girl inclined her head in response, "Why are you being so... friendly... to me? I mean, ever since we ran into each other again, you've actually given me a chance, and what's more you've... you've treated me like... a person." She mused hesitantly, feeling more than just a bit self-conscious about the situation.

"You wanna know why I haven't beaten you down yet?" Toph challenged with barely veiled humour in her voice.

"Well, I just-"

"It's because I don't see, I feel." She forcefully cut the other young woman off, clearly showing her question to be rhetorical and that she was in fact not finished speaking yet. "There's a lot of confusing and jumbled emotions flying around inside of you right now Sparkles, from fear to arousal and everything in between, but it's what I _don't_ feel that makes me want to help you. I don't sense any of the anger, hatred, or just general _evilness_ that used to define you for me. I know, it's weird, but I _know_the prison system didn't do that for you-"

"Fire Nation prison's **suck**!" Sokka couldn't help but butt in with his opinion, but after receiving three equally menacing death glares he piped down again, once more finding contention in simply being allowed to live. The sea of silk in which he found himself swimming, with all of it's intriguing and intoxicating aromas, was merely a bonus.

"Yes, thank you Snoozles, for that infinitely useful description." Another group chuckle at Sokka's expense followed the little blind girl's quip before she continued with her original train of thought. "Which leaves only one thing, or should I say one _person_, who could have caused such a change." Her insinuation was almost as obvious as just pointing a finger, and Ty Lee gave her best friend an encouraging smile in support of the claim. "So if Ty Lee's what makes you happy and not insane or evil and wanting to kill people, then you go ahead and stick your tongue as far down her throat as you want Sparkles, and anybody who doesn't like it can go sit on a stick!" Toph's impassioned argument, as well as her choice of words, caused a slight blush to cross Azula's face, but her embarrassment was quickly overshadowed by her gratitude.

"Thank you Toph." She said softly, though perhaps more surprising than her words were her actions. The little blind girl never saw it coming, but the next thing she knew she found herself being smothered by a very unfamiliar pair of arms as something warm and squishy nearly suffocated her.

"Uhh, 'Zula..?" Ty Lee's timid interjection brought Azula's head up, a quizzical look on her face before her friend pointed out, "I think she's having trouble breathing." She chuckled, pointing to the problem.

Azula immediately leaped up, a shocked look of embarrassment on her face. "I'm sorry Toph! Really, I didn't realize... you see they've gotten bigger in the last year and..." Her face flushed a deeper red as she stumbled for an appropriate explanation. It was only then that she noticed the dreamy, contented expression on the little blind girl's face. She was still breathing heavily in an attempt to catch her breath, but otherwise she was fine. Figuratively speaking, of course.

"Cool..." Toph breathed, only this time it was perfectly audible to the two girls next to her.

"Toph!" Azula nearly shouted, sounding almost offended but in spite of herself, there was a smile forcing it's way to her lips. "You dirty little Earthbender." She mocked, enjoying herself for the clever play on words.

"Hey, it's a healthy coating of earth, I'll have you know." The girl in green retorted admonishingly, though she knew that wasn't what Azula had meant at all. "Besides, _I'm_not the one shoving my fun bags in other people's faces." Folding her arms and closing her eyes, Toph wore a look of triumph after leaving her opponent sputtering and speechless. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't simply let one of the girls have the last word.

"Toph, you don't _have_ any fun bags!" He would learn one of these days. He was just, so, _certain_of it. It was not, however, going to be today, that much was clear.

Before Toph could crush him with a boulder, Azula was more than happy to offer her some pointers in the art of torture. "You know, instead of outright smashing the flea-brained idiot like an insect, although I admit that would be very entertaining to watch, I think you could have more fun with him if you were to get a little... _creative_." She finished deviously, placing an emphasis on that last word that was nothing short of malicious. Toph's grin only grew wider as she listened intently to what her new friend was whispering into her ear.

Though he couldn't hear any of it, he knew by Toph's grin, and the fact that she was listening to _Azula_ of all people, that whatever was coming his way was going to be very painful and probably worse than death itself. In one of his many cosmic twists of fate, he was, of course, only too right.


	8. Forks on the Left, Knives on the Right

He cursed himself. He cursed himself twice, why the hell not? It wasn't even a surprise anymore at this point, his life being one big cosmic joke and whatnot, that something like this would inevitably happen. Azula's _"Super awesome fun idea"_ was for Toph to place cuffs of earth on his wrists, as well as smaller earth rings on his fingers, one between every knuckle, effectively making _his_ hands _her_ playthings. But oh, why on earth would it happen for any other occasion but dinner at the Fire Lord's Palace! With the Fire Lord's still _fully insane_sister he might add!

But, if there was anything to top it off, well, it was the seating arrangement. This was where the "cosmic" twist of fate came in, because surely neither the sadistic Firebender nor the sadistic Earthbender had anything to do with that. Nope, it was just the universe getting it's own two cents in and waiting for the laughs. One his right, his sister, a girl who, on a bad day, could slice you in half with just a cup full of water, if you're lucky, and on his left the Fire Lady herself, Mai, a.k.a. grumpy chick who throws knives _too_ accurately, who also happened to be married to the Fire Lord,the _really_ grumpy guy with the scar and short temper and ability to shoot _fire_. He was dead. Hopelessly doomed, his fate sat right across him, in the hands of the little blind girl who smiled like someone who was either going to win big, or win _really_ big, and didn't care who knew it, and next to her the evil, demonic mastermind herself, wearing an equally devious smirk on her deep ruby lips. If he listened really, _really_hard, he could just about hear the thoughts flying between the two as if by some hyper-telekinesis.

His head dropped hard enough that his chin may have very well left a bruise on his sternum, and he let out all the air in him with one defeated, audible groan of hopelessness. His eyes begged mercy from Toph; unfortunately for him, she couldn't see eyes.

Everybody was there, well, almost everyone anyways. Enough to bear witness to Sokka's humiliation, in any case. The Avatar, Aang, of course was there, claiming an interest in how Azula's mental well being was, though in reality he was there "_just in case,"_and there wasn't a single person at the table, Azula included, who didn't know that for the truth it was. He had grown a little in the last year and gained a negligible amount of muscle, but otherwise he was still pretty much that same, goofy looking monk everyone remembered, in what could have very well been the exact same robes no less.

The siblings from the Southern Water Tribe were present, Katara wearing those same looping braids on either side of her head with the rest of her dark auburn hair pulled back in a bun, and adorning her neckline was that same old sapphire amulet. How Azula wanted so badly to just reach out with both hands and tear those hair loops in different directions, but such thoughts were "evil," and she had to be a good girl for this dinner. Going further down that particular side of the table, next was Sokka, who's only difference was all the stone-jewelry affixed to his hands. Oh, the fun things he was going to be forced to do. He couldn't wait.

Mai was after Sokka, just before the end of the table that was designated for the Fire Lord himself. Her crimson colored silken robe was only too familiar, except it looked much too big for Mai, just as it had for Azula's mother and previous Fire Lady, Ursa. Come to think of it, was there any woman out there on whom the robe would actually fit properly?

Zuko sat, tall and proud, right where he was supposed to be, at the end of the table where he could still remember seeing his father sit for the evening meal almost nightly. A shiver went down Azula's spine seeing him sitting there, thinking about just how eerily similar he was to their father in appearance, the scar that consumed his left eye, up to his hairline and back to his ear being the obvious exception. That part was uniquely Zuzu, although the rest was almost a mirror image to what his father must have looked like at that age. It was like looking back in time almost. One could only hope history did not repeat itself.

Around the next corner of the table, on the Fire Lord's left, was his little sister, currently the sole heiress to the throne, the guest of honor to whom this dinner had been dedicated. At least, that's how it was supposed to go, so long as she was willing to play along and pretend that this wasn't an officially unofficial group interrogation in the works. At least she had _some_backup, even if it was just the one person sitting on the other side of Toph, beaming happily about the table in her pink on pink outfit.

Zuko cleared his throat in preparation to speak, and a dead silence fell over the table that had been, for all intents and purposes, already silent.

"Welcome, friends, to my home once more. I'm glad you could all manage to make the trip, I know we all live about as far from each other as we possibly can, but it warms my heart to have my friends here at last. It's been too long for many of us." A round of agreeable cheers came from (most of) those seated around the table, before allowing Zuko to continue with his address. "It warms my heart infinitely more, however, to at long last be able to welcome my sister home, where she belongs, and has been missed." Not so much enthusiasm for that second part.

It was Sokka (or Toph, depending on what you knew of the situation), who unexpectedly began the clapping, eliciting shared looks of dumbfounded bewilderment from the majority of the people present. Toph and Azula were sporting almost identical grins from across the table while Ty Lee was trying with great difficulty to suppress hers. Sokka's clapping became much more enthusiastic than it had any right to be, and all he could provide to go with it was a cheesy, uncertain smile.

The others, more or less begrudgingly, joined in with him after the initial puzzlement died down a bit, but there were still plenty of skeptical looks being shot at the tribal warrior. Zuko cleared his throat once more to regain the attention of his guests, and after they were his once more he continued his little speech.

"Tonight is about healing old wounds, restoring old friendships and forging new ones, but above all else," He paused only briefly to glance down at his sister before returning his gaze to everyone else and finishing, "It is about forgiveness. I know for some, this can be hard..." It was Katara who received the Fire Lord's attention this time, "But I know also that it is possible, because you have all done it before for someone who was your enemy. I only ask you give her that same chance."

Fresh applause greeted this closing statement, as everyone acknowledged the truth for what it was. Even Sokka found himself clapping genuinely as he considered his friend's words. In truth, it wasn't really that long ago that Zuko himself had been their arch-nemesis, the object of all of their hatred and fear. He had proved himself though, and when the choice ultimately came to him, the then Prince of the Fire Nation had chosen to stand by the Avatar and his friends, choosing to fight his own father and the genocidal campaign of his countrymen. If he was willing to vouch for his little sister, that was good enough for Sokka. Of all the people present, he was the only other big brother in the group, and he knew what it meant.

As he took his seat once more, Zuko caught Azula's amber eyes and saw the unmistakeable look of gratitude shimmering in them. He gave a small nod in response before returning his attention to the table. Reaching for his glass, the Fire Lord was about to raise a toast but, to his and everyone else's surprise, somebody beat him to it.

"To Azula. May she, too, restore her honor and find her place in the world!" It was Aang's voice that gave this declaration, and although he was often eager to forgive and find the good in people, it was still more than a little strange to hear somebody she had attempted to kill (and technically succeeded in doing so) give a toast in her honor.

One by one, glasses were raised in response, with more or less agreeable cheers of their own.

"Here's to you, Princess Sparkles!" Toph nudged her playfully.

"To Azula!" Ty Lee's giddy voice rose up, high above the others.

"Try not to kill anyone?" Sokka mused with all of the usual sarcasm.

"Bitch." The girls on either side of him both uttered under their breath, avoiding the notice of the others as they played along.

"To you." Zuko said endearingly, in a way only an older brother could as his glass moved over to clink with Azula's. Glasses were upended across the table, followed quickly by grimaces from those who had apparently never had real rice wine before. A favorite in the Fire Nation not only for it's hot, throat burning sting, but also because it doubled as a rather effective source of fuel, burning quite easily and very intensely.

"While I thank you all for the kind words," she glanced at the two girls sitting opposite with a pointed, knowing look at this, but continued on without skipping a beat, "you can spare me any unnecessary pleasantries. I know what many of you probably still think of me, and I don't expect that to change for no reason all of the sudden. All I can offer, for what it's worth, is an apology." Azula finished with a look to all seated, and as if on cue, many of the faces present shifted to reveal how they truly felt, but there was a thin veil of respect that at least they could be honest about it.

Also as if on cue, Toph clapped her hands once with an eager look that was more accustomed to Sokka's face and yelled, "Let's eat!" Her apparent lack of fear for sitting adjacent the former most dangerous enemy the gang ever faced did a lot in easing everybody's latent trepidation.

And so, the real reason everybody was there revealed itself. A feast in the royal palace of the Fire Nation.

They had had a few throughout the year, but they were of such a rare and fantastic occurrence that the old group of friends would use just about any excuse to show up for one. As gold laced, flawlessly polished silver lids were pulled, exquisite dishes of bright and dazzling color revealed themselves, an aroma wafting to fill every corner of the room and entice a mouthwatering sensation from all present.

There was less than a heartbeat of pause before arms from all directions shot out over the table, and the clatter and clink of metal on glass filled the space, washing away any lingering negative feelings and heralding in the joy that was food.

Once plates were filled with all that they could hold and people were again seated and sedate, casual conversation began to pick up around mouthfuls of delicious joy. The majority of the talk consisted of Aang recounting his most recent adventures to the tribal siblings and a half-listening Toph. Azula barely managed to suppress a few chuckles at catching the Earthbender use the term "twinkletoes" when referring to the Avatar. Who'd have guessed that they would share an affinity for nicknames as well?

"You did what!" Zuko asked in amused disbelief, nearly spitting his drink out after hearing about Aang's diplomatic trip to the North Pole that ended up with him catching a fever.

"How was I supposed to know it would happen! You never told me that sick Firebenders could sneeze fire!" The young Avatar responded in a desperate attempt to both defend himself and hide his embarrassment. He was failing spectacularly at both.

"So you melted their sculpture to the Moon Spirit with one good one, eh twinkletoes?" Toph couldn't help but butt in with her own quip at her friend's discomfort. She couldn't _see_the sheepish look he gave in response, but she had a pretty good idea what his silence meant. "Nice."

"Yeah, I guess the next time someone tells me I should stay in bed I should listen. Well, at least I offered to help fix it, being a Waterbender and all..." He began to explain, only to be cut off by Katara and her two copper pieces worth.

"Offered? You _tried _to fix it right away, and you ended up making Yue look like the Earth King's bear Bosco!" She exclaimed with hardly contained laughter as the image resurfaced in her mind. Whatever response Aang may have had prepared for that remark was lost amongst the laughter of a half dozen people, and his face and ears turned to a shade that almost matched Zuko's crimson robes perfectly.

"That's alright," The young Fire Lord began after regaining some composure, "I remember when Azula got her first cold, she nearly burned half the palace to the ground." At the mention of her name, the girl in question paused in mid-bite, quickly adopting an affronted expression in response to her brother's exaggerated account of her first childhood illness.

"It was not _half the palace_, more like half of my room." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, thanks to the Imperial Firebenders showing up as quick as they did. Everyone thought it was an attack by deserters at first." Zuko pointed out in as snide a tone as he could without actually sounding offensive.

"It wasn't _that _bad."

"You blew your doors off the wall!" He shot back, sounding more amused than aggravated.

"So it was a little unexpected." Azula responded casually, as if the subject of discussion were something as unassuming as the weather.

"They flew 20 feet down the hallway!" Zuko cried in disbelief, amazed that she was trying to make it sound like nothing out of the ordinary. Stopping to consider their lives thus far, he decided maybe that wasn't too far from the truth of the matter.

"Well then I guess it's just a good thing nobody was eavesdropping outside of my room." She stated while calmly wiping the corners of her mouth with a crimson silk cloth.

"...I barely dodged them." He admitted after a brief moment of hesitation.

"So nobody important anyways." She teased coyly, the corner of her ruby lips curving up ever so slightly in a signature smirk that she and she alone seemed to be capable of pulling off so perfectly.

"Oh, haha very funny Azula." Countered Zuko, sounding every bit the opposite of amused. "We're going to have work on your sense of humor and joke telling abilities. Maybe Sokka can give you some pointers?" That last part he couldn't help but end with a chuckle, already knowing how badly that particular scenario could go.

After hearing all this, Katara couldn't help but instigate the situation with, "Oh, so you've been trying to kill your brother since you were what, 4?" with an amazing mix of hatred and cynicism that was thinly masked with sarcasm, so as to put on the appearance of trying to remain civil at a dinner table, but in a way that didn't fool a single person there.

Without missing a beat, Azula merely played along, saying "Yes, but I haven't been successful yet, and I've been trying awfully hard haven't I?" She shot a glance at her brother and added, "I guess I'll just have to try harder, won't I?" That last part she said in a way that would have been threatening before, but now it seemed to be more humorous and sarcastic, almost like an ordinary sibling teasing the other.

"I'll be happy to have a proper rematch whenever you want one." The young Fire Lord stated confidently, and promptly added his own teasing "Just pick a good hairdresser this time. Your last one was terrible."

"Yes, I suppose we may have to banish them, won't we?" She said sardonically.

"I think we can let this one slide." Zuko answered kindly in turn.

A brief silence enveloped the table, when suddenly Katara shouted, almost at the top of her lungs some believed, Sokka's name, and everyone turned to see him with his hand on his sister, in a spot it certainly shouldn't ever be.

"Oh, hey, Katara, uh.. how's it goin'?" He tried to add a laugh but it came out meek and helpless. "You see, there was this bug, and I, uh, well you see.."

Katara's hand shot up and with a sound like lightning cracking the sky outside she smacked the side of his face, leaving an instantaneous red hand print on him. Nobody seemed to notice the two girls barely constraining their laughter on the opposite side of the table. Azula was the only one of the three girls who knew what was going on and could still keep a straight face, if only because of the years of practice.

"Sokka, I think we need to have a talk." Aang said in a tone that, while serious, seemed slightly unsure. He didn't really have any idea how the conversation was going to go, and almost afraid of what he may discover.

"Yeah, you got it buddy." He responded, all of the fight having already gone out of him long, long ago.

Dinner continued for a while longer with more casual conversations picking up here and there. They were nearly finished, and for a moment, Sokka actually thought he was in the clear. He was close, so close.

"_**SOKKA!"**_

Yet so far.

This time, however, it was not his sister, but the girl on his other side, the Fire Lady herself, who screamed his name in fury. Mai, nothing the kindhearted girl as Katara, didn't let him off nearly as easy. Quicker than his eyes could even register she drew a shuriken and stabbed it into his hand. Her eyes opened in surprise when she felt the blade hit something like rock, yet Sokka still yelled in pain and fear.

Looking down, Mai saw that it was, in fact, rock that she had hit. Unfortunately for Sokka, it was the rock from his palm, and not the back of his hand, that she had hit. On the bright side, had it not been there, the blade would be sticking completely through his hand, and probably hurt more.

"_OWWW_! You _STABBED ME_!" He cried, as if it had happened for no reason whatsoever.

"You _grabbed _me!" Mai shot back, still entirely ready for a fight with a room full of people, or one idiot.

"But wait, why are there rocks... Toph!" Katara accused after piecing things together in her head. As soon as she did, however, the three girls on the other side of the table all burst into laughter at once.

"Snoozles.. you got stabbed!" The blind girl said while catching her breath, and with a wave of her hand the rocks all came to her, gather together into a ball that she then threw down and buried into the floor seamlessly.

"Yeah, I got stabbed! You got me stabbed Toph!" He cried indignantly. "You team up with Azula and _I_ get stabbed!"

"Hey, it was just her suggestion, I did all the _handiwork_." As if by some comical magic, Sokka immediately brightened up and chuckled lightly.

"Handiwork, good one Toph. Hehe-Ow!-" He held his right hand and looked at the knife still protruding from it. "It still hurts though." Mai reached for the knife, and expertly pulled it out, swift and clean.

"Here, I didn't hit anything important, it should heal up fine." She wrapped a napkin securely around his hand, tying it neatly at the end.

"Besides," Toph started, "You probably had that one coming." She gave him a grin, knowing the shenanigans he had a tendency to get into.

"Yeah, probably." Sokka admitted without any further argument. And all around group laugh was shared to show no hard feelings, and they all returned to their food.

Dinner finished up without any further incidents, and it wasn't long before everyone began excusing themselves for their respective rooms. It was a late dinner in the first place, and now it was just a ludicrous hour to still be awake. With full stomachs, everyone made their way to a warm, comfy bed.

* * *

><p>Azula went first to her balcony, enjoying that eerie late night glow that still blanketed the landscape, along with the fresh, brisk night air. Ty Lee came swift and silent a few minutes later, having pretended to go to her own room and then immediately heading for her friend's.<p>

"Hi Azula." She greeted quietly, making her presence known, even though it was unnecessary. She then wasted little time in crossing the distance between them and holding her best friend. After a brief, intimate kiss was shared the Princess walked over to her still broken mirror, and picking up an old brush she turned to the other girl.

"Could you help me, please? I'm no good at doing my own hair." Azula admitted with a small laugh. Ty Lee was staring out into the night when she heard the question, and turning she walked slowly, almost uncertain in her steps. A worried look was making it's way across her face.

* * *

><p>Outside the room, a few dozen yards from the walls of the palace itself there stood a solitary tree with some bushes, arranged purposefully and yet still appearing somewhat natural. Within the branches of the tree, Vzad sat silently, waiting with the patience of a stone. Nida appeared silently at his side a few heartbeats later.<p>

"She knows we're here. Let's see what she does." She breathed in that hauntingly beautiful silk voice of hers. To this, Vzad said nothing, instead nodding his head an imperceptible amount and continuing to wait.

"Is he done yet?" He asked suddenly, seriously, and took Nida by surprise for a moment. She thought about it for just a second then replied.

"I'm not sure, haven't seen him." Vzad nodded to this, and took up his silent vigil once more.

* * *

><p>"Ty Lee?" Azula asked cautiously over her shoulder.<p>

"Yeah?" The other girl responded, sounding still as if something were weighing very heavily on her.

"Is something wrong?" The Princess asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Oh, no, I mean, why would something be wrong?" She replied, tripping over her own words. She wasn't a very good liar, and she knew it, which is why the next thing she said was, "I'm sorry Azula. I love you." Her voice was dark and so very unlike Ty Lee that that fact alone sent a pang of fear through Azula's heart.

Her eyes widened in the mirror as her friend moved too fast for her to react against, had she even been capable of it. As it was, she was paralyzed from the terror and betrayal, and with just a few quick jabs along her back, she fell, completely limp and helpless. To her, it felt as if an eternity were passing as she fell towards the ground. Her hair flew around her head, like streaks of ebony flame in the wake of a comet. Her thin, crimson robe fluttered on her skin, feeling as if it were trying to simply pass right through her.

She hit the floor hard, her head impacting squarely with the solid boards. She felt a sharp, biting pain in the side of her head, quickly replaced by a warm, wet feeling that spread out from underneath her. Azula watched as her blood spilled from her head and marched outwards, conquering the horizon and covering everything she could see in a layer of thick crimson.

Through the reflection that the puddle of blood showed her, she could almost make out Ty Lee, standing above her, head hung low and body wracked by silent sobs. A lone tear drop made it's way, gliding off of her chin and falling, silently.

Azula watched that tear drop falling, her vision darkening around the edges so that it was all she could see, just a lone diamond falling through a black void. The last thing she saw was that tear drop falling and disappearing into the ocean of dark red, reverberating in her ears as everything faded with it's last cry to the world, a deafening, final _drip_ that resounded until it all went black.


	9. Royal Decree

"Huh, well whaddya know.." Vzad mused, a rare sound of surprise in his words.

"I'm surprised as well, I was certain she wouldn't do it." Came Nida's voice from next to him. "There's more to that Ty Lee than we originally guessed. Could be dangerous down the road..."

To this, Vzad did not reply, instead he merely continued to concentrate on the scene before him, or rather, what he could make out of it from his angle. He could see the one girl still standing, presumably over the fallen one. He watched as she stooped down and, struggling, lifted the body onto her shoulders, the extra weight causing her to sway a bit before she found solid footing.

"Shouldn't we go-" Nida started to ask.

"No, we have to let her do her part. We go in only if we..." His words trailed off as something in the room caught his attention. He watched as the girl suddenly bolted for the door of the room, not the balcony, and he cursed her out loud. "That sneaky little bitch... let's go."

Without so much as another word he leapt from the tree, Nida one step behind him, and together they silently sped towards the balcony, nothing more than shadows shifting in the night.

* * *

><p>"Zuko!"<p>

At the sound of his name, the distraught Fire Lord looked up to see Aang, Sokka, and Toph rushing into the throne room and approaching him hastily. Imperial Firebenders stood in an unbroken line between their Lord and the guests, but immediately recognizing the Avatar and his friends they lessened their guard slightly.

"Is everyone alright? Has anyone been hurt?" He asked, the worry in his voice plain to hear. The three paused before answering, uncertainty drawing itself across their faces.

"Well, actually..." Aang started, already knowing his friend wouldn't like what he was about to hear and mentally preparing to dodge a fireball.

"Well actually _what!_" He demanded, his easy-to-anger nature already getting the best of him.

"Azula's missing." Sokka informed him before the young Avatar could respond. He added immediately afterwards, in an almost conspiratorial tone, "Ty Lee too."

"So she's already at it again... serves me right." Zuko half mumbled, chastising himself for his carelessness in dealing with his greatest threat.

"There's something else Zuko..." Aang spoke up again, this time an even greater trepidation flashing across his face. "We found blood in her room, a puddle of it right in front of that broken mirror. It was... scary." A shudder went down his spine to accompany his words.

"No..." Whined the Fire Lord, a pitiful, disbelieving hopelessness in his voice. "It wasn't... They weren't... No..." He didn't appear to be speaking to anyone in particular, but his hollow voice and watering eyes spoke volumes to his friends.

"Don't get yourself all worked up just yet, we still don't know who's blood that was exactly. Knowing Azula, it could just as easily have been one of the assassin's." Toph stated in as reassuring a voice as she could. "There's no way she'd go down without a fight, you of all people should know that Sparky."

"And we still can't rule out the possibility that Azula herself was somehow involved here." Sokka rubbed at his chin as he thought aloud, and upon noticing the stares he was receiving, he quickly clarified, "Hey, all I'm saying is, we've dealt with her before, and I wouldn't put it past her that this could all be some elaborate scheme that she thought up while in prison. She did have an awful lot of time to think after all." Zuko gave him a knowing nod, not wanting to believe that scenario, but accepting the very real possibility that it was true.

"We'll start tracking them down right away." Aang announced, knowing the chances of finding their targets alive and well would only go down the longer they waited. "They couldn't have gotten too far yet, at least not far enough to escape Appa and me if we fly. Come on guys!" He signaled for Sokka and Toph to follow him as he turned and made for the door.

"Wait!" Zuko, regaining some small modicum of composure and gathering his thoughts. "Be careful you guys, whether it's my sister or the assassin's responsible here, one thing's for sure; it's going to be dangerous." He finished with a finality that brokered no argument, and the friends all gave each other quick nods of understanding before the three ran for the exit.

* * *

><p>Mai dragged her feet as she made her way, worn out and in a less than pleasant mood, towards the bed that so eagerly awaited her. It had been quite the eventful evening, what with the half-assed assault on the Palace. It was no legitimate attack, just a small group of would-be assassin's. So, with tired arms, a few less knives in their holsters and a few new holes in the walls, the Fire Lady decided to retire for the evening.<p>

_Well,_ She thought to herself, a sudden, nagging thought in the back of her mind, _It would probably be best to explain what happened anyways. No use getting him all worked up over nothing_. A tiny smirked played at her lips as she recalled just how much of a drama queen he really was.

Just as she was turning to head for the throne room however, she noticed the door to her and Zuko's shared bedchamber slightly ajar. A surge of adrenaline pumped through her body, her chest filled with a light fluttering and she immediately drew two of her favored, three-point shuriken. Moving swift and silent, she approached the door and, taking a deep breath, she lunged, exploding into the room with her arms crossed and ready to unleash a sharp, metal hell on whoever was daft enough to hide in the Fire Lord's personal room.

She glanced around the entire room, brightly lit with multiple torches that eliminated any and all shadows, and spotted a suspicious note on Zuko's private desk. Spending as much time as she had with Azula did have it's benefits, she decided, as the painfully obvious bait alerted her to the trap that was waiting.

Mai wasted no time in searching the room, throwing open the closet doors and stabbing into them before even searching, only to be met with air and cloth. _Click_. She spun around, faster than one could blink, and yet the room remained empty and silent. Her eyes darted too and fro, but nothing had changed.

She searched more obvious hiding spots, and when those yielded no results she even went so far as the check under the bed. _Well, it was worth a shot_, she decided as she stood and dusted herself off. Satisfied that there was, in fact, nobody lying in wait for the Fire Lord or herself, she sheathed her weapons. _Click._That time she was sure she had heard it. Eyes narrowing suspiciously at the still untouched note, she moved towards it slowly, cautiously, all the while waiting for some invisible menace to jump out from nowhere.

When she stood before the desk, still unharmed and alone, she warily picked up the note. Standard parchment, the likes of which could be found in any paper store around the world, and no seal. Nothing at all, in fact, to distinguish for whom it was for and from whom. An evil little thought fluttered through her mind. _Well, it doesn't say it's for him, so reading it wouldn't technically be illegal_.

Taking time to glance once more behind her to ensure the coast was clear, she carefully unfolded the parchment and gazed at the writing contained within. Her eyes widened in disbelieving horror as she finished the note, and immediately she dropped it and leapt for the door.

_Click.  
><em>

* * *

><p>To all the world, it appeared nothing more than a peaceful, starlit night over the mostly sleeping Caldera Crater. A half moon hung low in the sky, and the crisp air was refreshing and cool. In the distant wilderness around the ancient volcano, the background sounds of nocturnal animals serenaded the landscape.<p>

In an instant, the shroud of peace and tranquility was shattered.

An explosion ripped through the night, emanating from the center of the city; the Palace. A massive fireblast sent shards of brick and splinters of wood in every direction as the deafening sound of a hundred thunderclaps all at once reverberated throughout the city in the crater. The fire from the blast could be seen for miles around, and for that brief instant, night was turned to an eerie perversion of day, and all the landscape was painted in the unnatural, pale glow. Those who bore witness to the travesty could only stand in helpless terror as they watched the conflagration rise high into the night, an ice cold feeling running down their spines as they watched the brilliant sapphire eruption.

* * *

><p>Aang, Sokka, and Toph had only just prepared to take off into the night when the world around them suddenly trembled violently, and they could feel the heat already washing over them. None of them needed to turn and see to know what it was, and Aang and Sokka both shared a look of pure terror as they watched the blue glow blanket one another.<p>

"No..." Sokka breathed, refusing to believe what he saw, and yet it couldn't be denied. An upper section of the Palace had been completely decimated, blown apart by the savage explosion. They didn't need to know the exact layout of the place to know that it wasn't good.

"Zuko!" Aang exclaimed, and before the other two knew what was going on, he was wind sprinting back to the Palace they had only moments ago exited. Bending the air behind him to create a tailwind, he practically flew back towards the throne room.

* * *

><p>"Yes, my Lord, multiple witnesses confirm seeing the exact same thing." An Imperial Firebender was kneeling before the throne, giving his report of what had happened as Aang burst into the room. The Avatar locked eyes with the Fire Lord, and he recognized immediately the look of pure, unbridled fury in his friend's amber eyes. It was a look Aang rightfully feared, remembering it all too well from the time when they were bitter enemies.<p>

"It was an explosion of blue flame, there's no mistake sir. I'm... sorry, Lord." The man finished, drawing back as the wall of fire steadily grew in intensity from Zuko's boiling anger.

"Zuko..." Aang tried to start, and that's when he noticed something in the Fire Lord's hands, something he was cradling as if it were dearly precious to him. It was small, and glinted in the firelight. Stepping closer, Aang tried to make out more details of the object.

It was a crown.

Quite similar in appearance to his own, except this one had two points instead of three. It was the crown of the Fire Lady. It was Mai's crown.

"Oh no..." The Avatar breathed, realization of exactly how dire the situation was dawning on him.

Zuko made no direct response to his friend, instead he merely clenched his fist around the metal trinket, so hard it cut into his palm.

"Jingku." He said, in a calm tone that was even more terrifying than if he had shouted the word, and the man who had reported to him looked up, hesitantly, at his name. "Let it be known, that my sister, Azula," He paused, drawing breath and fighting back tears of anger and pain, before continuing with a dead finality, "is a traitor to the Fire Nation, and responsible for the murder of my wife, the Fire Lady Mai. She is to be hunted down, with every resource available, and brought to justice for her crimes."

"My Lord-"

"I want her brought back here," Zuko continued as if the man hadn't spoken at all, his voice still carrying that terrible, emotionless, blackness to it, and he looked knowingly at Aang as he concluded with, "Dead, or alive."

"It will be done, Fire Lord Zuko." The man, Jingku, acquiesced, knowing full well that anything other than compliance would have been met with annihilation right then.

"Zuko, no..." Aang tried to beg, tried to plead with his friend, but it was to no avail.

"Your Fire Lord has spoken, you are all dismissed." He concluded, and on cue, the wall of fire rose nearly to the ceiling, completely cutting off the man who sat upon the throne from all others in the room, and the world, for that matter.

It was only then that Aang noticed Katara, who had been left to help protect Zuko if need be, standing there with a bitter look of anger and sadness. It was a look that said 'I told you so,' but she didn't need to say it. She knew better than to say it. Instead she walked towards Aang upon seeing him, and without a word she went right past him, out of the throne room and disappeared into the dark hallway beyond.

As much as he wanted to try and argue some reason into Zuko, Aang knew better. There was no getting through to him, no reasoning, not right now anyways. In his current state of bitter anger and hatred, all an argument would lead to would be a fight, one he didn't want to be involved in at that.

So, defeated, the Avatar turned to chase down Katara, just in time to see Sokka and Toph standing at the doorway. They had just missed the decree, but the towering inferno of the throne room told them that things couldn't be good. Their wordless encounter with Katara just moments before didn't help their feelings of dread any either.

"This is bad, isn't it." Sokka said more than asked, to which Aang could only nod his head remorsefully.

"We have to find Azula, and fast." He announced, to which his friends simply nodded. There were times when the sunny attitude, cheery demeanor and all around playfulness of their friend simply disappeared, leaving only a terrible feeling of urgency and dread in their guts. Rare as they were, they did happen. This was one of them.

* * *

><p>Back on a mid-sized ship harbored in the Bay of Azulon, Vzad and Nida were collecting their thoughts and thinking the situation over. Failure in a mission was a completely new thing to the former, and he was taking it admirably well Nida thought. Or so he appeared to be, in any case.<p>

"That was quite the gambit she pulled back there..." She commented non-chalantly, deciding even an unpleasant conversation would be better than the stark silence that had previously enveloped them.

"She hasn't gotten away yet." He shot back snippily, sounding only a little more perturbed than he had likely meant. Nida simply raised both hands in a mock surrender, as if to imply 'whatever you say.' "She's got nowhere to go, and even if she did, she'd never get off this island without us knowing."

"You mean the same way she could 'never get out of the Palace' without us knowing?" Nida pointed out, a humorous sarcasm that only served to infuriate her partner further, though truthfully she knew it would and had opted to do it anyways.

"This is different!" Vzad shouted, louder than was called for at this hour, and taking a quick, calming breath, he explained further, "There's no hidden passageways off of this island. They would either have to take a boat, which we could catch, or a balloon, which we could spot."

Nida immediately thought of some holes in this, but decided against it for the time being. _Let him have his victories, even in defeat,_ she told herself. _Classic Vzad..._ she thought, with a sad sigh to herself. "So then, what _is_our next move, oh fearless leader?"

A wicked grin spread across his face, and he answered plainly, "We go to plan B, dear Nida."

Before she could even ask, and as if on cue, a massive explosion ripped the night sky apart, and both heads jerked back up towards the great volcano. They watched as the blue fireball expanded into the air, bathing everything within sight in an effervescent sheet of azure, and then, just as quickly as it had appeared it dissipated, leaving the night in a dead, horrified silence that not even the insects dared disturb.

"When he gets back, have him cast off and make for open water. I'm going to go study some maps and try to find out what her next likely move is." Without waiting for so much as an affirmative nod, Vzad turned and made his way quickly, quietly into the bowels of the ship, leaving Nida standing alone on the deck, a sad, hopeless longing in her deep blue eyes as she gazed back up towards the column of smoke rising out of the volcano.

* * *

><p>"It just... doesn't make sense." Toph said, a painfully obvious bewilderment in her words.<p>

"It makes perfect sense Toph." Came Sokka's adamant retort. "We trusted Azula, and now we've paid for it. I can't say I blame Zuko in the slightest."

On board Appa, everyone had been fully clued in on the situation, Aang explaining the announcement he had heard Zuko make with Katara filling in the missing details of what had happened. Nobody present needed to be capable of feeling heartbeat patterns like Toph to know that the Waterbender was in a mood most foul.

"I just thought she had changed. You guys, she really felt different to me, like... I don't know, not as evil I guess." The little blind girl tried to explain, beginning to feel overwhelmed in this argument by the two Water Tribe siblings who had both appeared to take to the 'Azula is evil and must die' mantra rather quickly.

"She's fooled you before Toph." Katara pointed out bluntly, not even trying to sound pleasant about it.

"Well what about the blood in her room? How do we explain that miss bitchy-britches?" Toph shot back.

"Isn't it obvious?" She retorted with a sarcastic humor, as if any child could figure it out. "She probably killed Ty Lee first, and then went after Mai, the evil bitch."

"She's right," Sokka admitted, cutting off whatever Toph had to respond with as he stated the facts, "If there were any two people Azula would want revenge against the most, it would be those two." He waited for anyone else to voice their own opinion on the matter, but for the life of them, all Toph or Aang could do was agree. It was certainly the most likely scenario. "We have to assume that she's killed at least those two so far, and is prepared to kill more if she has to. The most important thing for us to do right now is find her, and make sure she can't kill anyone else. If that means killing her," Here he paused, giving the back of Aang's head a quick glance but the Avatar never budged, "Then so be it."

A few moments passed by quietly as the sky bison cleared the edge of the volcano and headed due north. Katara, sensing Aang's discomfort with the situation, decided to try some convincing. "I know how you feel about taking someone's life-"

"Violence is never the answer." He cut her off forcefully, the first thing he had said since leaving the Palace and it was probably more curt than necessary, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. "But if it comes down to her, or one of you guys, then we'll do whatever we have to."

He didn't like the way things were shaping up, but if someone had to die, it was sure as hell not going to be another one of his friends.

"But first thing's first," He announced, and all eyes were (more or less) on him again as he said flatly, "I want answers."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Well, there you have it, FF is officially caught up to DA. Oh, and it's a big, evil cliff hanger. Enjoy ^^_

_Oh, and you'll have to excuse any mis-spacings, I just tossed these 6 chapters up really quick and didn't really stop to check for the infamous spacing issues that seem to plague this site... sigh  
><em>


	10. Where we Begin our Tale

Nothing.

It's a commonly used term, nothing, but there are not many who truly understand what it means, this word. It is an absence of all that we have to come to understand as existing. It is a state where our senses do not work, for there is nothing for them to sense. An infinite abyss, an abyss of infinity. To exist in such a state of pure oblivion is unknown to any who live, as it is only to be reached by the dead, and the dead may not return.

It was through this endless void Azula found herself tumbling, or perhaps even flying. Up and down didn't matter, if they even existed at all, and she found that one way or the other, she simply didn't care. She wondered if there was still anything she could bring herself to care about, but only briefly. The answer she quickly arrived at was, unsurprisingly, nothing.

In an existence where all is the same and all is none, any slight variation or difference was as noticeable as an inferno in a flower garden. This is exactly why she was able to notice the pinpoint hole in the horizon, and, curious, she made her way towards it. She didn't have any clue what it could be, but it was _something_, and right now that's all that mattered to her.

The hole grew in the blackness, a stark white spot amidst a universe of black. At first, that's all it was was just a simple, plain, unblemished white, but the larger it seemed to get the more she found she could make out. Other colors, greens, blues, browns, yellows, they all seemed to melt and mix together beyond that hole in nothing. Fuzzy and smudged the colors appeared to her eyes, but that made no difference. She dove headfirst into the white hole that now consumed practically every corner of her vision, disappearing into the beautiful colors beyond.

So slightly did her eyes open at first, that the girl sitting nearby didn't even notice anything change. At first all she could see was an agonizing white light, but it quickly subsided to reveal multiple trees overhead and a bright blue sky beyond that. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and as her hearing slowly faded back into reality, the first thing her ears picked up was the soft sound of some birds singing all around.

Azula turned her head to try and look around her, but as her right temple made contact with the ground she winced in visible pain, hissing loud enough to grab Ty Lee's attention.

"You're awake!" She cried, loud enough to startle all the birds and replace their music with an uncomfortable silence. Azula could only manage to stare, confusion plain on her face but with an unmistakeable fear rightfully placed over it. As if things weren't bad enough for her, now as she tried to move her limbs she found them numb and stiff, almost entirely unable to respond to her commands. Yet, as she looked up at Ty Lee, she could sense no malice coming from her.

Unable to make heads from tails of the situation, Azula found that at least her voice still worked and so asked, "Ty Lee?" Blinking and shaking her head, she found the other girl to still be there and decided she must be real. "What... what's going on? Where..."

"It's alright, you're safe for now." Ty Lee assured her upon hearing the panic quickly growing in her friend's voice. "We're, uhh, in a forest... somewhere." She admitted sheepishly, her face turning a faint pink as she realized she had no clue exactly where they were.

"Ty Lee, that's not-" Azula started but cut herself off with an audible curse as the pain in the side of her head seared and all thoughts turned to how excruciating it was.

"Careful, you got a pretty nasty cut." Her friend pointed out, and only now did she notice how matted and sticky her hair was. The acrid stench of blood filled her nostrils and she looked to the acrobat sitting nearby for answers. It was then that she noticed the dark red stains on the girl's shoulder.

There were too many questions and not enough answers, so, after taking a deep, calming breath, Azula asked, in a more or less demanding tone, "Ty Lee, what the hell happened."

Uncertainty was plain on the girl's face as she recalled, "Well..."

_"I'm sorry Azula. I love you." Ty Lee clenched her eyes shut as she jabbed the exact right spots along her lover's spine. She waited for the sound of the body hitting the ground, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill at any moment._

_The dead thud that soon followed convinced the acrobat to peak her eyes open, only to be greeted by the horrifying sight of blood pooling around her friend's head. It spread out at such a frightening rate that at first, Ty Lee could only stare in open mouthed terror. She felt a tear drip off of her chin that she didn't remember shedding._

_The sound of the door being thrown open forced Ty Lee to jump from surprise and spin around in a heartbeat. She relaxed immediately upon seeing Mai standing there, and in short order she recalled her priorities._

_"She's bleeding Mai!" The girl in pink exclaimed, pointing to the ominous crimson puddle as if it weren't the most obvious thing in the room. "She's bleeding real badly I don't know-"_

_"Ty Lee, calm down." Years of experience with the eccentric acrobat gave Mai the advantageous ability of sensing her hysterics coming and knowing how to snuff them before they could give her a headache. "It looks like it's a head wound, probably some shards of glass that were still on the floor. It'll bleed bad but she'll be fine if we get some bandages on her."_

_Her friend's words struck a chord and, realizing she was probably right, Ty Lee calmed down visibly. "I thought she was... I had.." She put a hand to her own mouth to prevent the words she never wanted to say from coming out._

_"She'll be fine, but only if we stick to the plan. I doubt you have much time, get her and let's get moving." Mai reminded her, a stern foreboding in her voice. Giving her a nod, Ty Lee stooped to lift the unconscious body onto her shoulders. Although it probably infuriated her to no end, Azula had always been the smallest one of the group, in stature anyways, and it was this fact alone that Ty Lee was grateful for as she hoisted the petit girl onto her shoulders._

_"Let's go." With that, she stepped towards the balcony, only to bolt immediately for the door and the hallway beyond. Mai was a step and a half ahead of her, ready to distract anyone and anything long enough for Ty Lee to get away. They had barely made it around the first corner when something small and sharp flew past. A few somethings, Mai realized as she heard them make almost synchronized impacts on the opposite wall. They had reminded her eerily of throwing knives, yet somehow not. Looking at where she was certain they had collided with the wall, she saw nothing in the way of knives or shurikens. She couldn't even make out signs of impact marring the paint._

_"Keep going Ty, I'll hold them off for you." Mai ordered in a tone that brokered no argument. Glancing behind her, the Fire Lady could tell that her friend had misgivings about leaving her to fend for herself, but she quickly dispelled that notion. "I'll be fine, just get going and get her out of here. I'll meet up with you at the door." Nodding in understanding, Ty lee turned on her heel and continued running down the labyrinth of corridors as fast as she could._

_Mai was fully prepared for whatever was going to come around that corner, her arms crossed and loaded with three knives in each hand. She listened as the unmistakeable sound of footsteps grew closer and closer, until they were just a few steps from the corner. Her breath held in her chest as she tensed, counting the steps and adjusting as necessary. The instant she saw the black cloak appear she let all six knives fly, whistling as they tore their way through the air to their target._

_Without missing a beat, the man rolled forward, right under the knives as though he could watch them moving through the air, and continued to rush towards the young woman who had thrown them. Mai reacted without hesitation, pulling twin three-point shuriken from within her robes and hurling them forward, one high and one low in anticipation of a repeat trick from her new adversary._

_The man in the black cloak grinned sadistically from beneath his hood, merely side-stepping the weapons with a twitch of his body and allowing them to continue on harmlessly past him._

_ A tinge of fear pinged it's way through Mai. _This guy's quick, and if I can't hit him I can't stop him._ Steeling her nerves, she waited for him to draw just a bit closer. He closed the distance at a frightening pace, now no more than several steps away. It was the perfect time for Mai to unleash a hail of arrows from the holsters strapped to her forearms. It was too much moving too fast and at too close of a distance, and so Vzad was forced to roll to the side to avoid becoming a pin cushion. It was all the distraction she needed, which was good because it was all that she was going to get, and with that Mai turned and prepared to chase after Ty Lee. _I just can't do it alone.

_She made it a few meager steps, however, when all the bones in her body told her to roll out of the way, and fast. Trusting an instinct that had been born of constant combat, she did exactly that, rolling just as she heard something tiny go whistling by. It was the same as last time, and this time she was sure of where they hit. Still, not a trace of evidence existed to testify to the projectiles that were coming from seemingly nowhere. Turning her head, Mai saw a second cloaked figure joining the first, this one much smaller but no less menacing in that emotionless black cloak._

_"She's getting away." Mai heard the second figure, apparently a woman, tell her companion. The man nodded, realizing his mistake in chasing after this woman who was clearly not his target. The two took off in a different direction, and Mai didn't waste a moment in turning to chase after Ty Lee. Focused and determined as she was, she still couldn't help but let her mind wonder about those curious projectiles that seemed to disappear on impact._

_As she sped along the maze of corridors, she almost passed by a patrol of guards without noticing them. It was only as one of them called out to their Fire Lady that she paused and considered them briefly._

_"Get Fire Lord Zuko out of his room and into the throne room, have a dozen men protecting him at all times. There are assassin's in the palace." She demanded with an alien urgency in her voice. The guards had never known the young woman to talk in anything but a dead monotone, and when it dawned on them how serious the situation could be they turned at once and made their way towards the Fire Lord's personal quarters. As an afterthought, she called after them, "And alert the Avatar as well." Mai then quickly turned and continued on her previous course._

_Turning the last corner before their agreed upon meeting spot, Mai's attitude brightened slightly upon seeing Ty Lee standing there, unharmed and alone, save the unconscious girl hoisted on her shoulders._

_"Mai! I was starting to worry about you-"_

_"Shh, Ty! I wasn't able to stop them, you have to be quiet and go quick. Here, take this map, it will take you straight to the outside. Otherwise, you could end up wandering around down there forever." The knife throwing wife of royalty handed a small parchment to her friend in pink, and, looking around to ensure their solitude, she reached up the side of a large but otherwise innocuous painting until her finger found a small release latch. Flipping it, a small passageway appeared in the wall, leading down into a tunnel system that had been created for this exact purpose._

_"Thank you Mai, I owe you one." Ty Lee said with watery eyes as tears of gratitude began to swell up._

_"As far as I'm concerned, we're even Ty." Mai replied flatly, a hint of thanks that, while easily overlooked by anyone else, was clear as day to her acrobatic friend. "Now go, you don't have much time." With that, Ty Lee entered the passageway and, giving one final farewell glance over her shoulder, she made her way into the dark depths of the tunnels below._

_Mai wasted little time in closing the passageway behind her friend, and as the door slid shut two dark shapes appeared in her peripheral vision. She whipped around, knives already in hand and ready for release, but the two didn't appear to be interested in picking up where they had left off._

_"So, it's you again is it?" The man inquired, although he didn't really expect an answer, which was good as Mai had no intention of giving one. "How annoying."_

_A tense minute passed by in silence, as each waited patiently for the other to make the first move. The unmistakeable sound of foot steps scurrying down the hallway arose, and Vzad considered the situation only briefly before turning to Nida and telling her, "I do believe it's time we took our leave. This isn't our target, and if our target isn't here then we've no reason to remain ourselves."_

_Mai saw her opportunity to stall them and wait for backup to arrive, but even as she sent the knives screaming down the hall, the two proved much too quick and, dodging the projectiles expertly, they disappeared behind a corner. Deciding that a chase would prove fruitless, Mai let them go, satisfied that Ty Lee had been able to escape and accepting that as good enough._

_"We aren't going to chase them down that tunnel?" Nida asked, curious, as they sped down the corridors._

_"Don't you know, my dear Nida? You never chase a rabbit down it's own hole; you wait for it to come out on it's own." Vzad answered with his usual confidence. Still, she could sense the anger and discouragement inside of him at having let their target escape in the first place._

_As the two cloaked assassins were making their escape of the palace, Ty Lee was herself making the long, winding, and downright confusing journey through the underground labyrinth that was the palace escape tunnels. In truth, the tunnels weren't merely for escape. There was a metal reinforced bunker deep beneath the palace that Fire Lords would use in times where it was unsafe for them to remain in the throne room, but necessary for them to remain close at hand for military command._

_There was, of course, a path leading to the outside of the volcanic crater, for emergency evacuations. The greatest strength of the tunnels, however, lay within their perplexing design. A labyrinth if ever there was one, the twisting, winding, and splitting paths could easily lead someone on and on until dehydration claimed them. The stifling heat helped in speeding this process up. Throughout history, there were many would-be assassins who had believed themselves lucky in discovering this secret tunnel, only to find themselves wandering aimlessly in the dark for days upon days, until at last they collapsed, exhausted, to die lost and alone._

_Ty Lee thanked Mai again for the map as she struggled through the dark tunnels, all the while being beaten down on by the ever oppressive heat that seemed to permeate the place. It was all she could do to not shout for joy when she finally eyed the escape._

_Bursting out of the tunnel with a newfound speed, she nearly ran straight off the side of the volcano, forgetting momentarily where the path would be leading her and all to excited about breathing the fresh air once more and allowing the night breeze to flow about her. Studying the small path that lay before her, she decided it wouldn't be very easy, nor safe, to traverse with a body on her back, so she decided to shift the unconscious girl from her back to cradling her in her arms._

_She was making her way steadily down the path when out of nowhere it sounded as though someone had sent two massive boulders hurtling at each other, shattering them on impact. The world around her shook, and she nearly lost her own footing as rocks gave way beneath her. Falling backwards and landing on her rear was about all she could do to prevent the two of them from falling a long, long ways down._

What on Earth..._Ever the victim of her own curiosity, Ty Lee couldn't help but look back up and above the crater's peak, only to spot a column of black smoke rising high into the night. Ty Lee didn't know much, but she knew the one thing that every citizen of the Fire Nation knew: Where there was smoke, there was fire. As much as she wanted to rush back and make sure her friends were alright, she knew better. She had come this far for a purpose, and she had to see it through._

_Hoisting Azula in her arms once more, Ty Lee did the only thing she could, and as her legs carried her down the mountainside, all she could do was think of Mai and trust that she had everything taken care of. She reached the bottom at long last and felt the soft, sweet relief of grass on her feet. Not wasting any time to enjoy it though, she headed swiftly in the direction of the trees ahead of her. If she went quickly, she was certain she could make it before day break..._

...And, well, here we are." Ty Lee said as she finished her explanation of the previous night's events. "I just made it to this little clearing before I pretty much collapsed of exhaustion..."

In hindsight, demanding to know everything immediately after waking up from a concussion induced sleep wasn't her brightest move. It was a lot to take in all at once, and it didn't help the situation one bit that her body was still mostly numb and unresponsive, aside from her head which, if she was being perfectly honest, felt like it was being split open by a dull axe, and hurt like all hell. Even so, she still hadn't gotten the answers she wanted.

"That still doesn't explain why you found it necessary to knock me unconscious."

"I did it for your own good Azula, as strange as that sounds."

"You're right, it sounds very strange. What good does it do me to be unconscious and what's more, paralyzed, when there are assassins after me?"

"Because I know you Azula, and you would have tried to fight them without a second thought!"

"You're damn right I would have! I would have fought them and they would have-"

"Killed you! Azula, please, you're out of practice, and you don't know the first thing about them! I just... I wanted to keep you safe, that's all." Ty Lee's eyes fell to the ground, a clear sign she was finished arguing, and feeling just a tad guilty about the whole situation.

Even if Azula had wanted to continue arguing, the throbbing in her head was becoming too much to bear, and so with an exasperated huff she said, "It doesn't matter anymore, what's done is done. What's important now is that we stay one step ahead of these people, whoever they are, until we can find out more about them. How much longer should I be like this?"

Ty Lee though about it for a moment before deciding, "Maybe another 10 minutes? I'm not sure, it varies person to person. Can you try to wiggle a finger?"

Azula did indeed try just that, and found, much to her surprise, that the digit twitched, if only so slightly. She concentrated intensely on her finger, and after a few more grueling attempts she managed to move the entire thing about an inch off the ground. "More or less," she replied.

Beaming happily and with relief plainly evident on her face, Ty Lee jovially informed her, "That's great! It shouldn't take too long for the rest of your body to start responding as well."

Sure enough, as the time passed by in the relative peace and serenity of the late morning, Azula could feel as the strength re-entered her limbs and when at last she had regained full control of her body, she stood and stretched, reaching up to touch the sun and then down to her feet, out, like the wings of a hawk, and finally back to her middle, centering her energy. Inhaling deeply, she felt a tingling sensation surge through her as the cosmic energy raced through her chi pathways once more. As inconvenient as it was having them blocked, she had to admit, there was something to be said for the sensation one felt when they re-opened. It was one of renewal, and left you feeling completely cleansed from the inside out.

Taking one final, relieving inhalation, she gauged the sun's location in the sky and attempted to discern where they might be, to no avail however. So, with an aggravated huff, Azula turned to Ty Lee and asked, "So do you have any idea where we might be? Besides, 'in a forest'?" She added, cutting Ty Lee off even as her mouth was opening. This gave the acrobat pause, as she had to think a little harder about the situation.

"... North?" She ventured hesitantly, and even that much she didn't necessarily know so much as remember from the map, which showed the exit being on the north face of the volcanic mountain, which coupled with the fact she had only gone straight from there led her to conclude that they must be north of the capitol, to some degree or another.

Azula hung her head in her hand, and whereas Ty Lee was certain she was going to be furious, the Firebender was incredibly, astoundingly... chuckling? At first she thought she must have been hearing things, her mind playing tricks on her or something but then, sure enough, Azula began openly laughing, louder and louder until there could be no mistake. It wasn't insane, maniacal, hysteric cackling, just pure, wholesome, humorous laughter, as if there weren't a funnier thing in the whole damn world. Confusing as it was, Ty Lee couldn't help but let herself be lost in the titillating sound that had gone unsung for all too long. She couldn't remember for the life of her the last time she had heard her friend laugh like that, and only hearing it now reminded her of how much she had missed it.

"We would have to be lost..." Azula mused, more or less to herself.

"What?" Ty Lee asked, honestly having not heard what her friend had said.

"You've never gambled, have you Ty Lee?" The ex-princess asked, although in the manner of one who already knew the answer.

"No..." She responded, not entirely sure what it had to do anything and it showed in her tone.

"It's a rather old, unspoken rule of turning one's luck around." She informed, turning to face the other girl as she concluded, "Sometimes, you have to lose it all before you can build it back up again." Ty Lee considered this for a moment, an adorable, quizzical expression of contemplation on her face.

"I don't see how this is 'losing it all,' Azula. Sure we're lost but..."

"And what have we got? Between the two of us, what have we got, hmm? No money, nothing but what we're wearing, and no idea where we even are." Azula listed, though to her credit, she didn't sound nearly as annoyed as she should have.

"We've got each other." Ty Lee pointed out, sounding just a tad disappointed that that much hadn't occurred to her newfound lover. This statement caught the other girl off guard, and with a roll of her eyes and a huff of breath in which she cursed herself under, she moved towards her companion and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Ty Lee, that's not what I meant." Azula apologized in a softer tone. _Trying not to hurt Ty Lee's feelings is beginning to be quite the chore_... "It's just, I was thinking of more... tangible things. Our love isn't going to get us out of this mess we're in." A curious gurgling, grumbling noise interrupted her, and she added quickly afterwards with a bit of a chuckle, "Or keep us fed." Ty Lee couldn't help herself but to grin as well. "Now come on, first thing's first let's get out of here. We have a whole day to worry about the rest."

"But, how do you even know which way to go?" Asked Ty Lee, her words ripe with bewilderment.

"Well, you were quite adamant about having gone north, so I can only assume that we're closer to the southern border of this forest than any of the others. We'll get out of here and head for civilization." Azula explained plainly, pleased with herself at still being quick with her wits. Ty Lee, however, had some misgivings about this, if the sudden change in expression was any indication.

"What if they followed us?" She warned, only to be scoffed at.

"Please, if that were the case they would have caught up to us while we've been sitting here. Besides, you said so yourself, they gave up back at the Palace, there's no feasible way they could have known we came here. Now if that's all then, perhaps we can be on our way. We're burning daylight." Ty Lee couldn't help but snicker at the old Fire Nation cliche, and as they started making their way she felt all the worry and tension flutter off of her shoulders.

Only to return all too soon. They had been making their way, uneventful enough, but with every step they took she couldn't help but shake the unmistakeable feeling of being watched and followed. Every twig that snapped, every bird that flew off as they came too near, every unidentifiable shadow, it all made the young acrobat more than a tad uneasy as the dread pooled in her stomach and terror crept up her spine.

After an hour or so of solid walking, at long last the tree line was in ahead of them, opening up into the wide, open grassland that filled the void between the forest and the ominous volcano looming in the distance. Clear, bright blue sky was visible beyond the leafy treetops, and as she drew nearer and nearer Ty Lee was beginning to feel slightly better about their situation, even starting to laugh at herself for her inane paranoia.

"You see Ty Lee, I told you, we'd be absolutely fine. There's no assassin's waiting for us to poke our heads out like hunted animals-" Her words were cut off the instant they cleared the forest by an arrow striking the tree only inches away from her face. The color drained from her, her heart jumped into her throat and she may very well have peed herself just a little. From behind her, Ty Lee's terrified shriek sent every bird within a mile scattering for the skies.

Seconds passed, each more horrifying and heart stopping than the last. Sweat beaded out of every pour, gliding across her skin and pulling her clothing to her body. Azula felt the blood course throughout her entire body with every beat of her heart, and with it the thrilling pulse of adrenaline. Drawing breath, kindling her inner fire and preparing herself to strike out in any direction at a moments notice, Azula-

"Renji you blind bastard!" A man's voice yelled, as intimidating as it was authoritative, which was to say, not very.

-exhaled in stark relief as two very common looking men appeared from behind a large boulder, an obvious generation gap between them, perhaps even two.

"That look like a jack'o'lope to you boy!" The older man continued berating the younger boy as they drew nearer to the two girls. When they were closer he shouted out, "Sorry about that ladies, I hope the boy didn't scare you too bad. Was tryin' to teach him to hunt, but first he'll need to learn the difference between people and animals!" He aimed this last part in a less than pleased tone directed at the boy, who could only hang his head and look to the ground in shame.

"Sorry grandad."

"Aint me you should be apologizin' to boy." The man pointed out, directing his grandson's attention to the two girls standing before them.

The boy fidgeted a bit at first, but eventually raised his head just high enough to look the first young woman in her golden eyes and apologized, "S-sorry miss, I seen somethin' move in the trees and I-I got nervous. The arrow slipped, I didn't mean to shoot I swear it!"

Azula studied the boy for a moment, her heart and blood still racing from what could have easily been her death, but she had enough experience controlling her body to keep it from showing. As the boy stood there, he couldn't help but remember something his mother had always told him about the girls of his country. _Pick a fight with any boy you wish, Renji, but don't you go angering the girls of fire. Even I can't identify an ash pile._He gulped loudly, and as if on cue, the girl's lip curved into a terrifyingly mischievous smirk.

"It's fight, Renji." She stated, and the boy blinked, unsure if she had even spoken or if it were simply his head playing tricks on him.

"Wha-?"

"The difference, between people and animals, it's fight." Realization dawned across the boy's features, and noticing this, she continued, "animals will run out of instinct, nothing more than a drive to survive. But people... people can fight back. Remember that, Renji. People always have the choice to fight back."

"And a wise man," The boy's grandfather began, snapping the transfixed child's stare from that of the intriguing young woman, "picks the people he's going to fight carefully." Renji thought about it for a few seconds, glanced at the golden eyed woman once more and then nodded in understanding. His grandfather likewise turned his attention and went on, "I apologize again for the boy's mistake, he learns quick but he's still a little green behind the ears."

"It's alright, youth is about making mistakes, and learning from them. If anything, I would say work on his aim. He was close, but sometimes close, isn't good enough." She informed with a sly slant of her eyes.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right about that." The old man chuckled, then remembering himself he offered his hand and introduced himself. "Name's Toshi, Toshi Sunoyaki at your service miss."

"Anya, charmed." Azula provided, lying about her name without missing a beat or batting an eyelash. Gesturing to the girl behind her she added, "And this is my good friend, Tera." Ty Lee took the hint easily enough and edged forward to shake the man's hand.

"Nice to meet you sir."

"The pleasure is all mine ladies. But now, there's still a question itchin' to be asked here; what're you ladies doing out here all by yourselves an' such?" He studied them carefully, a cautious suspicion slowly leaking through his features. Ty Lee was about to answer him, sensing Azula's unease at the question, only to be cut off by something she certainly hadn't expected to hear.

"We're being chased by assassin's, ruthless, bloodthirsty killers that won't stop until they have my head on a stick." The... truth? Of all the times Azula had chosen to tell the truth in her life (and there weren't many), Ty Lee certainly hadn't expected this to be one of them.

After studying the young woman for a few intense moments, Toshi's expression began to brighten and he started chuckling lightly. "Well of course ya' are! I shoulda known just by lookin' at you, eh?" He continued laughing out loud, to which Azula herself joined in along with a still uncertain and slightly reluctant Ty Lee. Renji appeared to be just about as confused as any young child could when caught in an adult joke.

"Hoo-ee, I haven't laughed like that with a total stranger in ages. How would you ladies like to come and stay at my place for the night? Warm beds, hot food and good company. It's a bit far, but I just couldn't live with myself if I left two pretty young girls to the mercy of bloodthirsty killers out here in the wilderness." Toshi offered, his tone making very clear that "no" would not be an acceptable answer.

"We really shouldn't..." Azula started, attempting to strafe the issue only to be cut off by Ty Lee's overzealous cry.

"We'd love to!" And that was that. The rest of Azula's words escaped her in a defeated sigh, already knowing she had lost this one.

"So which way then?" She asked, deciding that if they were going to go somewhere, they may as well get there sooner then later. The idea of food and some real, honest sleep were becoming very appealing.

Toshi pointed, indicating the direction of his house, but warned them, "It's a bit of a hike from here, I'm afraid. Should be there before sundown though!" _Sundown!_ Azula thought to herself in outrage, looking up at the sun. _That's at least 4 hours from now!_She groaned, more or less to herself, as the prospect of walking for the next 4 hours settled on her, with all of it's inescapable boredom.

As they walked, however, Azula found it wasn't nearly as boring as she had expected. The old man Toshi actually had dozens of interesting stories from his past, much of which dealing with the war (unsurprisingly really).

"Really, you served with the Dragon of the West?" Azula inquired, genuinely interested in hearing about it. Before he had turned into a tea-making pacifist, she had actually looked up to her uncle, enthralled by all of his exhilarating conquests and campaigns throughout the Earth Kingdoms. General Iroh, the Dragon of the West had, at his height, been the most respected name in all the Fire Nation military, and the most feared by all of their enemies.

"Oh spirits, yes. It was quite a ways back now, but I can still remember old General Iroh in all his burnin' glory. He was a great leader, he was. Uncompromising, but honest and fair. He'd never ask us to do anything he wouldn't do himself, and personally led every attack he oversaw." Toshi explained as his eyes shone with a light of one who was reliving past triumphs.

"And the famous siege of Ba Sing Se? Where you there for that as well?" Azula asked, anxious to hear a real, honest firsthand account of the events that transpired there in those 600 days.

"Yes, I surely was miss Anya. Not a particularly pleasant memory, mind you. We lost so many... I don't think you want to hear about that, young lady." He concluded sadly, a forlorn fog glazing over his eyes. Azula considered badgering him more, but decided it would be to no avail. Perhaps there was another way...

"I'm sorry," She started, sounding every bit as though she were, "it's just that my cousin, he died in the battle. I was just hoping to hear about the fight from a survivor, to know that his death wasn't entirely in vain." She had to give herself credit, this sympathy act was getting to be more and more second nature to her. A touch of moisture to the eyes and...

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to hear that. What was his name?"

"Mushi." She lied without skipping a beat, reading the conversation like an open book. War veterans, they _always_wanted names to see if they knew the person in question. There was something to be said for camaraderie.

Toshi thought quietly for a moment before shaking his head. "No, can't say I remember a Mushi." He sighed heavily, an obvious, painful burden weighing on his heart. "We lost so many men and women, good men and women. They didn't want to be there, never asked for it, hell many of them didn't even agree with the war itself, but when it came down to it, we were there and we were willing to do whatever it took to keep each other alive." Azula looked at him with a barely noticeable quirk of her eyebrow, and he caught the questioning glance as he locked eyes with her.

"You see miss Anya, that's the thing most folks don't realize about war and soldiers. It's not about the battle, the conquest and the thrill of combat. It's about the ones fighting next to you, the ones you serve with and fight alongside. You shed blood and tears with them, and when it comes down to it you'll gladly lay down your own life to save even just one of theirs. I think so long as your cousin upheld that code of the warrior, then nobody can say his death was in vain." He finished by placing a comforting hand on Azula's shoulder, which she only barely registered and acknowledged. She found herself thinking, almost without even meaning to or knowing why exactly, about her cousin. Not her made up one, Mushi, but the real one who had died in the siege. Lu Ten...

"I know it may not count for much either, but he died in good company." She gave him a look that asked for clarification, which he obliged. "The general lost his own son in that battle. Lu Ten I believe was his name, a good man and an excellent Firebender." Azula flinched almost imperceptibly at the mention of her deceased cousin, a response that was noticed by none.

"I heard about that." She offered in response, a slightly queasy feeling stirring in her gut for reasons unknown to her. She couldn't recall ever really caring all that much for her cousin, or so she thought. "It led General Iroh to abandon the siege if I recall. Some went so far as to call him out as a failure and a coward." Indignant rage burned in the old man's eyes almost immediately, a blatant expression of outrage and insult that Azula noticed at once.

"General Iroh was **anything** but a _coward!_" He roared, startling both his grandson and Ty Lee who had been preoccupied with a casual conversation of their own until that point. Azula felt a bead of sweat trailing down the back of her neck, but schooled her features so as not to reveal her sudden discomfort.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that, that's just what I heard..." She attempted, albeit poorly, to bridge the sudden gap between them, but it did nothing to quell Toshi's fiery fury.

"Well you heard wrong, miss Anya. **Dead wrong!** That man saved more men than I can count, willingly putting himself in harm's way to safeguard common soldiers! His honor is **unquestionable!**" Azula opened her mouth to reply immediately, but stopped and thought for a moment, doubt suddenly crossing her features.

"I never realized..." She admitted, sounding and looking rightfully defeated. She looked up at Toshi again, looking him in the eye before saying plainly, "I'm sorry. He.. certainly sounds like an honorable, courageous leader."

Toshi calmed down, letting a loud sigh go, his anger with it. "No, I'm sorry Anya. I shouldn't have exploded like that, you didn't know any better. General Iroh personally saved my son from certain death, along with countless others and it's just that... I just can't stand all the bad mouthing I hear about the man. It's bad enough his own brother betrayed him and stole his throne, he deserved better for all he's done for the Fire Nation."

Azula, oddly enough and yet unsurprisingly, was at a loss for words. At the time she had eagerly embraced her father's plot to cheat her uncle out of the crown, but the more she heard the queasier she felt. _Such blatant, unapologetic betrayal..._Being betrayed by someone so close to you was one of the worst feelings in the world, and she should know. She decided she would have to have a long, honest heart to heart with her uncle the next time she could. It was far overdue.

"Yes, yes he certainly does." Azula commented, that still very alien sound of sincerity in her voice.

As the sun drew nearer to the horizon, and after what seemed like an eternity of walking, at long last a small town became visible in the distance. It wouldn't be until practically sundown that they actually arrived at their gracious host's home. The town in which Toshi lived was hardly worth any note, and his own house reflected that very same bland anonymity rather well. It was a simple two story, white walled house with a red shingled roof that sloped down and have upwards curving points at the corners. Observing proper guest etiquette, Azula and Ty Lee both removed their footwear immediately upon entering the old man's home. While it may have been quaint and unassuming, it was certainly kept clean and humble.

"Lin, Shin, you guys home?" Toshi called out after removing his own shoes and crossing the threshold into the living room. It was scarcely a moment before a woman's voice replied.

"Back here pa, just gettin' supper ready. Figured you and Renj would be back sooner than later, was hoping to have it all prepared when you got here though. Guess my timing was off a little." Lin appeared from around a corner at the far end of a hallway opposite the front door, frantically drying off her hands with a towel so she could give Toshi a hug.

"That's alright sweetheart, but where's Shin, shouldn't he be helping you?" The old man looked at the woman, somewhere in her late 20's to early 30's by Azula's guess, with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"Oh, Shinobi headed to the capital to pick up some groceries and other supplies, as well as to find out what happened last night, what with that smoke cloud and the rumbling noise. I expect he'll be returning sometime in the early morning." She told him, and only then did she glance past her father and notice their two guests. "Oh, we have guests. Where on Earth..?"

Remembering the two girls that had accompanied him, Toshi suddenly turned and introduced them. "Ahem, yes, pardon me I almost forgot. Lin, sweetheart, this is Anya, and her friend Tara, two travelers we happened to meet on the way home. I offered them a hot meal and a warm bed for the night, I'm sure you don't mind." He pointed to the two girls as he announced their respective fake names, and in turn they inclined their heads to the older woman.

"Oh not at all father," She replied, immediately adopting an appropriate tone of formality, "I'll have the guest room made up after I finish preparing the food." She inclined her head to the two young women before turning back to her food preparation.

The old man scoffed though, saying "Oh, nonsense, you've done enough. I'll go get the room ready." His daughter made to argue with him, but he silenced her with a simple wave of his hand, claiming "Now I may be old but I can make a bed dammit." Lin let out an exasperated sigh and accepted defeat in this matter. She knew better than anyone the extent of her father's stubbornness.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable and at home. Supper shouldn't be much more than another hour, would you like some tea in the meantime?" She called from the kitchen, suddenly remembering proper etiquette towards guests. In her own defense, they didn't get many.

Ty Lee answered in the affirmative right before Azula could decline. _Tea it is then..._she thought bitterly. The two moved themselves into the decently spacious sitting room and, folding their legs beneath them, sat at opposite ends of a small chesnut table. Ty Lee was beaming happily, a blissful ignorance that was only all too Ty Lee emanating from her face. In the past, it might have annoyed Azula, but now she simply felt her own face lighting up because of it. That damn smile was infectious. It didn't take long for the Firebender to notice her friend's eyes upon her, and she felt compelled to know why.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She asked cautiously, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was staring it's just... I mean, well, you should do that more often." Ty Lee fidgetted nervously, unsure exactly what to say.

"Do what..?" Azula questioned slowly, not entirely following her friend's meaning. Ty Lee simply giggled, the sound provoking a warm tingle to tickle her companion's belly.

"Smile silly. And really smile, not that creepy smirk you like to do so much. It really brings out your eyes and makes you look pretty." She informed with a wide, typical Ty Lee smile plastered across her face. Azula felt her own cheeks growing warm at the honest compliment, and she felt guilty because of it. "Er!" Ty Lee added as an afterthought, "Pretty-er! You were already pretty of course."

"Yes, well, I suppose I'll try to keep that in mind." Azula gave her a gracious smile, then added earnestly, "Thank you." She was accustomed to receiving praise and admiring remarks from her father and mentors, but they were always in regards to how well she was advancing in her training and the like. Honest to goodness compliments about how good she looked were seldom, if ever, heard, and despite everything else that she was, she was still, at her core, a girl, and as such compliments about her looks were always cherished and appreciated.

Lin came bustling into the room carrying a basic clay teapot and two matching cups. She knelt at the table, placed a cup before each girl and poured a full cup for each. "It's jasmine," she informed them politely, then stood and made her way back towards the kitchen, calling over her shoulder as she went, "Supper should be ready within the half hour!"

The two girls both grasped their cups, enjoying the warmth for a brief moment before raising them to their faces. Ty Lee inhaled the aroma wafting out of her cup, appreciating the sweet scent of the tea before taking a careful sip. Azula simply raised her cup to her lips and gulped it down, her nature as a Firebender granting her an innate resistance to the extreme heat of the liquid. She grimaced at the taste, not at all impressed with the quality of the brew. Ty Lee fought back a snort of laughter as she watched, which Azula noticed and felt compelled to question.

"What?"

"You don't gulp it down, that's not how you drink tea! No wonder you don't like it you goof." The acrobat teased, taking infinite joy in doing so. Her companion responded with a huff of annoyance as she felt irritated at being told how to _drink tea_.

"And how _do_ you drink tea?" Azula drawled out in clear irritation. _Honestly, telling her the right way to _drink tea_?_

"Why you sip it, of course." Before Ty Lee had a chance to respond, Toshi had come from around the corner, having just finished setting up the guest room and apparently overhearing the question. He sat down at the table and, producing a cup of his own, grasped the teapot and carefully filled it before continuing. "Yes, the old Dragon of the West was quite the fan of tea, and taught me everything I know of the stuff. This jasmine, it's a white tea, very light and sweet. It's meant to be sipped, to bring out the full flavor without overpowering."

Azula rolled her eyes inwardly, it seems it didn't matter where you went in the world, if tea was involved then her uncle somehow was as well. Ty Lee had taken it upon herself to pour a fresh cup for her, either forgetting or simply ignoring the fact that she didn't really care for the stuff. At the ceaseless encouragement of the giddy acrobat, Azula finally humored her with a test sip, fully expecting the same bland bitterness. To her surprise she found it to be sweet and, though she was loathe to admit it, slightly pleasant.

After a short while of casual conversation and continued tea sipping, Lin appeared with a dish laden tray. It was a simple, traditional Fire Nation meal, complete with roasted duck, steamed vegetables and plenty of noodles. The meal itself went by with little incident and casual conversation from around the table. When they were finished, the guests thanked their host for the meal and were led by Toshi to their room for the night.

"There's only one bed, I hope that's not an issue." He explained as they reached the door. The two girls shared a quick glance before answering that it wouldn't be a problem. Nodding, the old man returned down the hallway towards his own room, leaving the two to examine their overnight lodgings. It was a simple room, with a window on the left wall and a bed against the far one. A painting of a beach on a clear, almost cloudless day hung on the third wall, and the fourth wall, the one into which the door was built, remained bare and featureless.

"Well, we may as well get some sleep. We're going to have our hands full tomorrow just trying to figure out what to do and where to go next." Azula commented offhandedly. Agreeing, Ty Lee joined her in removing her clothes down to her wrappings and then sliding into the bed. She hesitated at first, but then wrapped her arms around the smaller girls middle. She was so unbelievably warm, her skin so undeniably soft that Ty Lee had to fight the strong urge to caress it.

At some point in the middle of the night, while still entirely asleep, Azula rolled over and snuggled her head in the crook under Ty Lee's chin, inhaling deeply and unconsciously smiling. For the first time in over a year, she found herself having a wonderful, enjoyable dream.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note:<em>**_ I know, not very action packed or riveting but hey, I do what I can. Expect things to escalate in the next one, though I can't guarantee how soon that one may be... As always, thanks for taking the time._


	11. Hot Pursuit

Disclaimer:_ I can't remember if I have to put this at the start of every chapter or not, so here it is; I don't own, meh, any of it. Schwam._

* * *

><p>The door swung open early in the morning, closer to night really, as Lin was only just preparing for the day's chores. She turned to greet her husband as he entered the house they had lived together in for over 15 years now. It was situated in what could well have been the smallest, quietest town in all of the Fire Nation, if not the world, and not more than a few hours walk from the capital, convenient for whenever they needed to buy things. Lin's father had moved in with them to, as he claimed, <em>help keep Shinobi in line<em>, but they both knew that he was secretly trying to help support them with his military pension. While it was true that he loved his daughter greatly, Toshi had always felt a certain amount of guilt for leaving her to fight in the war. She had been such a young girl at the time, only 10, and there was so much he missed and wanted to make up for.

In all honesty, Shin was more than grateful for the old man's presence most of the time. It ensured there was always someone capable at home to watch out for his wife. The extra set of skilled and experienced hands didn't hurt either.

"How was your trip?" Lin asked, much the same as she always did, in a gentle yet concerned voice.

"Oh, uneventful as always, you know how it is dear..." His voice trailing off was as telltale as if he had been staring her in the eyes and blinked away.

"What happened?" She asked immediately, note even entertaining the notion that she didn't know something about him was off, if only just slightly.

Shin glanced at his wife warily for just a brief moment before admitting the news he had learned less than enthusiastically, "It was an attack on the palace... they say the Fire Lady's dead."

"Spirits..." Lin breathed in response, her heart immediately going out to the young new Fire Lord Zuko. She took notice of her husbands off-shot, downward glance, and knew he wasn't telling her everything. "What aren't you telling me?" She asked.

He fidgeted for just a moment before answering, "They say it was his sister, the Mad Princess Azula, escaped from prison and come seeking revenge! That she took another girl hostage and escaped!" Shin paused to let the information sink in, and then, remembering something he had in his pocket, pulled it out and explained, "Look, the guards were handing these out to everybody they could find. The most current picture they could make of her, along with the girl she took hostage. Ty-Lee it looks like her name is. We have to be careful Lin, they have no idea where she went and she's dangerous..." His words, though they continued on for some time, were lost on Lin's ears, however, as horrified recognition opened her eyes wide at the sight of the two girls' pictures she was looking at.

* * *

><p>A light knocking was all the warning Toshi gave the two girls before quietly entering the still dark room. The sun was only just beginning to come up, but this side of the house wouldn't be disturbed by it for another few hours. Azula stirred at the noise, having always been a light sleeper, and opened her eyes to recognize the old man sitting in a chair just next to the bed on her side. She started to ask him what he was doing, but he interrupted her as if he never heard her speak. Azula couldn't see it in the darkness of the room, but Toshi's gaze was distant and somber.<p>

"You asked me about your cousin when we were walking yesterday, do you remember?" He knew she did and so didn't so much pause for an answer as for effect. "I think I remember him now, yeah, sure I do. He was a brave man, great Firebender too, had it in his blood I suppose," Azula thought she almost caught a knowing glint in the old man's eye, but dismissed it and continued to listen, as if captivated, while Toshi told her about the cousin she had barely known, in a way that only someone with great reverence and respect for whom they're speaking can do.

"You wanted to know if his death was for nothing?" Toshi asked her, fixing his gaze on her suddenly too familiar golden eyes. He saw her nod, and answered with a comforting smile, "No, no I don't think it was."

The silence passed between them for a moment before he broke it with a heavy sigh, his knees creaking as he slowly got up from his chair and told her, "I think you and your friend should start getting ready to head out, you got a long day ahead of you I'm sure..." He trailed off as if he had something else he wanted to say, but made for the door as if he didn't.

"Wait," Azula said as he reached the door, confusion burrowing into her as this man, so usually warm and inviting, was more or less kicking her out. "What about breakfast?" She asked, a concern for food suddenly at the forefront of her mind.

He gave her a kindly smile, confidently proclaiming, "I'm sure you two will figure something out, you seem pretty sharp to me. Besides, I don't think you'll like what we're having." With a wink, Toshi silently shut the door behind him, returning down the hall towards where Shin and Lin and where. He had heard Shin come home, and caught the not-so hushed conversation from the hallway. He was old, but nobody's fool, and he could still put two and two together. But something about the supposed "Mad Princess" had him questioning the truth. She had seemed rather alright to him, and while he wouldn't fight off the army to help her out, the least he could do was give her a head start. Regardless of whether she was innocent or not, if they caught her for the murder of the Fire Lady, he already knew what would happen to her, and it wasn't anything pleasant.

Azula, ever the intuitive one, knew a sign when she saw one, even if she didn't particularly care for any gods or spirits, she did believe in the power of the universe, and that nothing random ever happens randomly. The instant she heard Toshi retreating down the hall, she turned to wake Ty Lee, quietly but urgently whispering, "Ty Lee, we have to get going now! Come on Ty Lee, wake up!"

With some inaudible arguments, feeble attempts at jabs, and mumbled curses Azula would sooner pretend not to hear, Ty Lee was finally... well, her eyes were open. Kind of. She hadn't gotten to sleep the night prior, and now she was being woken up at some obscene Firebender hour by some stupid Firebender. To say the least, she wasn't much of a morning person.

"What's the big idea Azula? Why do we have to go so early?" Ty Lee whined, not understanding why Azula's "intuition" was reason enough for her to be forced out of bed before the sun was even up. That Azula confirmed the sun was in fact up earned her little more than an annoyed scowl in return.

"Look just trust me, okay? Something that old man said.. something about the way he said it, and the way he was acting. I don't know, alright, just believe me when I say something is wrong and we need to get going now!" The Firebender was running out of patience, but at last Ty Lee conceded the argument. She was already up anyways, no point going back to sleep now.

Fully dressed and awake, Ty Lee made for the door, but only to find it locked. "That's strange... why would the door be-?"

"Because he doesn't want us to go out that way." Azula answered, silently grateful for some evidence that things were not all well. She turned to the window, and as she did she noticed the small pack leaning neatly against the wall just under it. Inspecting it, she found some basic medicines, a length of rope, some wrapped food, and a few odd tools, all packed with a meticulousness that Azula would have found odd if not for the immediate recognition of a Fire Nation military pack, minus the obvious insignia. Standard issue for every soldier in the army, and it's origin was suddenly and blatantly obvious.

"Yeah, we'll figure something out alright." Azula mused to herself with a smirk on her face. _Need to start paying closer attention to these crafty old bastards_, she decided. Over her shoulder she called out to Ty Lee, "All set?" When she received a nod in return, Azula opened the window quietly and slipped straight out, into the still brisk and heavily smelling of dew morning air. Ty Lee was right behind her, hopping the rather low window and landing daintily on her feet as if she were but a leaf in the breeze.

Just as Azula had guessed, the sun had only just begun to appear over the horizon, and by now was still only half visible. She didn't waste any time in picking which direction to go, and so they began heading for the north exit of the small hamlet Toshi lived in. As they reached the end of the street, for some reason unknown to her Azula took one glance backwards, and that's when she noticed something peculiar in the far distance. It was hard to make out in the dawn's early twilight, and it was very far away, but there was something certainly there, moving north along the road, a large, dark mass practically on the horizon. Squinting she could just make out... soldiers? The distance was great, but there was no mistaking a battalion of soldiers marching down a road. She'd seen plenty after all.

Azula scowled at the implications. Sure, they _could_ have been on a routine patrol for bandits and highwaymen, but much more likely was that they were out looking for _her_. It couldn't have taken Zuko too long to discover her missing, and by now he probably had half the military out searching for her. The entire military, she decided, after considering it for a moment. They were at peace now, not like they had anything better to do.

"What's the matter Azula?" Ty Lee's voice shook her out of her thoughts and she turned to begin walking once more.

"We should keep moving and stay ahead of those soldiers. I don't have a good feeling about this..." She replied and gestured for Ty Lee to start walking with her.

And so they plodded on, eating some strips of jerky they had found in the pack quietly. By the time they were finished, the sun had completely cleared the horizon and the day had begun in earnest. Azula couldn't help but notice that the entire time it appeared as if Ty Lee was nervous about something, like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure about it. Finally Azula couldn't take it anymore.

"Is something wrong, Ty Lee?" She asked, hoping she sounded more concerned than annoyed, despite the opposite being more true than not.

"Huh? Oh, well, no, it's nothing. It's just... do you think we're safe? Out here in the open like this?" The acrobat gestured around them to the wide, open grassland they were currently plodding through. Azula sighed.

"Ty Lee, we've been through this. They have no idea where we went, how could they possibly have tracked us?"

Ty Lee pondered for a moment, "... Well, when you put it that way, I guess you're right." She replied, that bright, cheery demeanor immediately returning.

"As usual." The Firebender averred with a mock arrogance and a smirk. "Besides, we've already come this far, we have to keep going in this direction, and in this direction, there isn't exactly a whole lot we can use for cover." Despite her tone of unwavering confidence and certainty for their situation, Azula couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder at the steadily moving mass behind them, and she cringed at the uneasy tightness that seemed to twist her gut.

High above them, a small, dark spec in the sky took note of the two travelers then turned and headed swiftly east, it's presence and passing an unknown occurrence to the two oblivious girls far, far below.

* * *

><p>It was perhaps two or three hours after he heard the girls taking their leave of his humble abode that Toshi's somewhat aged but still perfectly valid hearing picked up on the unmistakeable clamor of steel boots marching through his small village. He didn't waste his time going to the window to see if they were going to simply pass through, he knew better. If what his son in-law had said was true about the Fire Lady, then they were going to be turning everything in their path upside down on the hunt for the killer. As if responding to his very train of thought, there came a loud pounding at his front door, accompanied by the loud and demanding voice of some soldier or another.<p>

"Yeah I'm comin', just a minute." He hollered in response as he made his way towards the door. More aggressive pounding greeted him right as he reached for the handle, annoying him a considerable amount, to the point that he very irritably and very forcefully yanked the door open and near-shouted, "Now what's so damn important that when I said just a minute you couldn't wait ten seconds!?" right into the face of a momentarily stunned soldier in his mid-twenties. He clearly wasn't expecting this response from a civilian, but then he also didn't seem quite sharp enough to pick up on the fact that he was staring into the face of an ex-soldier who had seen far more and far worse than he himself.

Remembering himself, the soldier shook his head to regain his composure and, producing a poster in one hand he more demanded than asked, "Have you seen either of these young women recently?"

Toshi looked at the pictures of the two girls he had met yesterday with an unreadable, stern face, but before he could answer one way or another there was a commotion behind him as Lin came bustling around the corner, her husband in tow behind her and their son Renji following just after him.

"I can't believe I gave that **monster**a hot meal and a bed for the night... let her stay in my own house!" She was grumbling, to nobody in particular, the realization of who she must have let into her home last night obviously having dawned on her, a realization that was clearly not sitting too well with her either.

She caught the soldier's attention with relative ease at that point, and took it upon herself to answer the question she had apparently overheard the man ask. "Yes, we've seen them, the both of them stayed the night here last night, swindled us out of a hot meal and a warm bed they did!" Her vehemence caught the soldier by surprise, but that was nothing compared to his surprise when he realized that he had just gotten a positive lead, and a fresh one at that. None of them had expected to pick up the trail that quickly, nor that easily, and yet here it was. "They gave us fake names and put on this very convincing display, feigning civility and playing us all for fools! I swear if I ever got my own hands on that disgraceful little lying, murderous bi-"

"Now honey, the boy's right here with us, let's try to keep that in mind shall we?" Shinobi cut in, only just preventing his wife from cursing in front of their son. In truth, it was nothing Renji hadn't already heard his grandfather say on multiple occasions, but he knew better than to let his parents discover that little fact, so he feigned naive innocence in that way only a child can. It hardly mattered, as nobody was paying him any mind anyways.

"So the fi-I-I mean, the person err, _persons_in question were here, at this residence last night?" He asked, stumbling over his own words in his nervous excitement... Was that it? Toshi couldn't be certain, but he was certain of his gut, and at this moment his gut was telling him to be wary of this soldier and his company. Shinobi nodded in the affirmative, and made to explain how the girls had mysteriously disappeared early in the morning before they could even be confronted, but it his words were drowned out by the soldier's sudden shouting to a few of his fellows.

"We'll need to conduct a thorough search of the house to be certain, I'm sure you understand." The soldier stated bluntly, not so much asking permission as informing them of what was going to happen. Without even awaiting an invitation into the house, the soldier's muscled their way past the still very much dazed and rather affronted family of four to begin their search. Toshi however, would have no part of it, knowing full well that the new Fire Lord had taken a great deal of the power away from the military, so while this may have been allowed under Ozai, it was certainly illegal for them to be so invasive in the present.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" He bellowed, a sudden if brief glimpse of the past warrior, strong and undaunted, shining through his visage. The effect was what he had hoped for, more or less getting the soldiers' attention and causing them to hesitate in their ransack-style "search." Though he was somewhat startled himself with how effective his display had been, he didn't want to lose momentum, and so continued in a powerful, authoritative tone, "You have no right nor reason to invade our home and tear it apart, looking for someone who has long since left. You're wasting time that could be spent chasing Azula if you want to catch her so damn bad! And besides, Fire Lord Zuko made it very clear that the military will no longer be an all powerful entity that can disregard civilian law."

If any of the soldiers were about to argue back, their voices froze in their throat at the sight of someone new appearing in the doorway, to which Toshi had his back turned. It took him all but a moment to realize there must be someone of authority standing there. High authority, by the ashen looks on the soldiers who neither moved nor blinked. Before he even turned to greet this newcomer, a voice announced their identity to him in as familiar a sound as that of his own voice.

"I'm afraid this isn't an ordinary circumstance, Toshiru." The elderly man turned to see another man in military uniform standing in his doorway, this one clearly an officer of distinguished rank. A General, as a matter of fact, and this Toshi would have known even were it not for the sleek, high quality armor with the golden insignia emblazoned into it, or even the obvious respect he commanded from his troops. No, Toshi knew this man's rank without a doubt, because this man was his brother.

"Lee-Tzu." Toshi said the name as if it were a poison in his mouth that left a bitter aftertaste.

"General, Lee-Tzu, Toshi. Come now, it hasn't been that long, I know you still remember how to address an officer with their proper rank." Lee-Tzu taunted with all the smug self-satisfaction of a sibling superior.

"What are _you_doing here!?" Toshi demanded, fire practically bursting into his fists, which had apparently clenched themselves. His brother, who looked as though he must have been at least 10 or even 15 years his younger, merely regarded him briefly before responding in kind.

"I've been given specific instructions, **directly**from the Fire Lord himself, to track down and bring his sister to justice." Toshi studied the man opposite him carefully, but he could denote nothing from the man's expression. There was something about the way he had said that last part though, as if scoffing at the justice of it all. Was it that...?

"And as it turns out, this has turned out to be _quite_the fortunate turn of events. I have here a letter from Fire Lord Zuko himself, and he has granted me permission to employ any and all means necessary to achieve success in this endeavor." Again he paused, and again only for effect, so he could bask in the anger that was now practically seething out of his older brother. "She has murdered the Fire Lady Mai, and is a threat not only to our nation's welfare, but the peace and stability of the world itself. Now then, I believe my men had a search to conduct..." He let the order hang in the air for a few brief seconds while the previously dumbstruck men remembered themselves and began once again tearing the place apart looking for nothing in particular.

The ensuing stare down was as brief as it was intense, and ended with the elder brother asking his family to wait outside. Lin considered only for a moment arguing with her father, but decided against it in this circumstance. There was clearly something the two brothers needed to discuss amongst themselves, and themselves alone. Once satisfied that his family was outside and far enough away, Toshi was the first to break the silence.

"What is this about, Lee?" He asked in as civil a tone as he could manage.

Sighing as if he was having to explain something to a child for the thousandth time, "I thought I already explained-"

"What is this _really_about, dammit!? You know she isn't here, nor is anything that would be useful to your mission. The princess is many things perhaps, but she's no fool. If the accusations are true she wouldn't dare stay in one place for too long."

"Ex-princess, Toshi. She's no princess anymore." There it was again, that tone that said something other than what his words did. Was he referring to her disinherited status in the royal family? Or was it something... Again he had to shake the nagging thoughts away and press the more concerning issue.

"Just say what it is you really want Lee..." Toshi gritted, at his very wits end with patience and on the verge of exploding from the looks of it, and not simply in the metaphorical sense.

Without changing his expression in the slightest, Lee-Tzu somehow managed to look more smug as he savored the moment before finally answering, "Information that will help me track down the fugitives as soon as possible." Even after all that badgering, he still clung to the same veiled statements that told his brother essentially nothing useful. Sensing his elder brother's temper was at it's end, he held up a placating hand, at long last saying, "Which way did they go Toshi, hmm? Tell me which way to send my men and perhaps we can finish this little search prematurely. After all, all we need is something to go off of, some kind of lead that will point us in the right direction. Surely you could speed this entire process up, brother?" He asked in a mock-brotherly tone, more insulting than endearing to be sure.

The older man fidgeted for a few brief seconds. He had already known it would be like this, but still he wasn't quite sure what to do. On the one hand, he saw the door he needed to go through to save his family's home from being completely torn apart, but at the cost of condemning two girls barely on the cusp of adulthood? After an internal struggle of morals, he decided they were already condemned, he could only prolong the process at this point. So, begrudgingly, he told the man he hardly considered his brother except by blood alone, "They went north."

"I'm sorry, my hearing's not quite what it used to be.." Turning his head as if to emphasize, though Toshi was certain he had heard perfectly fine.

"North you insufferable fool! Now get out of my house before I decide to commit my **OWN **_**treason!**_" Toshi bellowed, and despite himself Lee-Tzu involuntarily flinched. General or not, he knew deep down, even if he'd never admit it, that his brother always had been and likely still was a superior Firebender. While he himself had climbed the ranks of an officer in the Fire Nation military, his brother had served alongside the fabled Dragon of the West in the bloodiest campaigns of the war, and more importantly, he had lived to tell about it, completely intact. What Lee-Tzu had in command experience, Toshi had in combat experience, and if push came to shove, the general harbored no delusions about which would prove more useful in a legitimate fight.

Regaining his composure just as quickly as he had lost it, Lee-Tzu resumed his air of confident smugness and announced loud enough for his men to hear, "Very well, we have the information we've come for and, as promised, will be leaving you and your family in peace... for now." The latent threat was obvious enough for Toshi, but he paid it no heed, he knew the information he gave was valid, as loathe as he was to admit it.

The soldiers wasted no time in abandoning their "search" and filing out of the house quickly, the one who had initially knocked on the door shouting to other soldiers around the small town that they were preparing to continue marching. Dozens of sets of metal boots could be heard thudding into formation out in the street, the unmistakeable sound only too familiar to Toshi's ears.

"I miss these little reunions, we really should do them more often Toshi." It was said with all the condescending sarcasm Toshi expected. At last, and not a moment too soon, his brother turned and exited the house, and in the space of a couple heartbeats Lin, Shin and Renji all came quickly back inside, shutting the door behind them. They were all obviously concerned, the worry etched across their faces, but none more so than Lin herself.

"It's alright, they won't be bothering us anymore. Come on now, we've got a mess to clean up." They all solemnly nodded in agreement and set about to do what was necessary, while Toshi himself gave one last, forlorn glance out the window towards the north, hoping sincerely that he didn't just aid in a young girl's execution... Or worse yet, a murderer's escape.

* * *

><p>Azula watched intently from the small hill she stood atop as the column of soldiers marched out of the town, heading in their direction. She stayed only as long as she needed before turning and heading down the opposite slope, careful to avoid being seen directly by any of them.<p>

"Well?" Asked a curious Ty Lee, who had remained at the foot of the hill as per Azula's request. Two could be spotted easier than one, she had said, and between the two of them, she was more qualified for scout work.

"They're still heading in this direction, I think we can certainly assume that they're after us for some reason or another, and given the old man's insistence that we leave as soon as we did, it probably isn't any reason that's in our interests. Toshi knew something he didn't tell me..." She let her ramblings continue on inside her own head, but was quiet otherwise.

"Well if that's the case, we should probably get going. I bet we can reach that forest by noon if we try." Ty Lee gestured ahead of them towards the wood line in the distance. Azula nodded in affirmation, though secretly groaned to herself, _camping out in the woods again... lovely_. Still, camping was better than... whatever else might be in store for her if those soldiers ever caught up.

Luckily, the sparse few surrounding hills provided enough cover to prevent them from being spotted by anyone with better than average eyesight, as there was bound to be. They would only help for so long though, so getting to the forest before the soldiers cleared the hills was imperative, and Azula knew from experience how fast soldiers could march when pressed, as she was almost certain they would be. Something just... didn't feel right, it was in the air, almost like smoke betraying a fire's existence.

Nervousness followed in their wake like the wind that chased them briskly, and the sun climbed ever higher into the sky. They walked on mostly in silence, Ty Lee worrying nervously and Azula deep in thought, contemplating what she should do, what she _could_do. Unfortunately, her options were... disappointingly limited. In fact, as she thought about it, they were, well, there were none. She had nowhere to go, assuming that the military wouldn't be after her unless Zuko himself had ordered it, always quick to assume the worst of her. Her uncle in Ba Sing Se, if she could even somehow manage to cross the ocean and get to the city, was tantamount to going to Zuko. Her father was locked in prison, stripped of his firebending and essentially worthless, and her mother she hadn't seen for nearly a decade since she abandoned her could just as well be dead as far Azula was concerned.

Glancing to her side, Azula couldn't help but let a smile play at her lips despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation. At least she still had Ty Lee. _Good enough,_she supposed.

"What?" Ty Lee asked, noticing the sly smile.

"I'm glad you're with me Ty." She admitted, as content as could be, as if everything was right in the world for them at that moment. Considering the way things could have turned out, Ty Lee decided that was a good way of looking at things.

Without any warning she took a step towards the smaller girl and wrapped her arms around her shoulders while still managing to keep step, whispering just so, "I'm glad too."

Her eyes widened in sudden surprise, the warmth of her friend's body against her side bringing a gentle, enjoyable tingle to creep up her spine. A sudden thought occurred, and her sly smirk turned devilish. "Ty Lee..." Glancing at the acrobat to see her quizzical look, she coyly remarked, "How fast do you think we could reach those woods?"

"Hmm," Ty Lee hummed in thought, "That depends," she began, a devious slant to her eyes, "Do you still have those jets in your feet?"

It was Azula's turn to contemplate for a moment, then looking her friend in the eye stated coolly, "I guess we'll just have to find out now won't we."

* * *

><p>"Maybe we should have thought about this is a bit more before taking off <em>blindly<em>in one direction, Twinkletoes." Toph couldn't help but remark sarcastically. From what she had been told, as there was no way for her to judge direction herself on the flying bison, they had gone all the way to the north end of the island nation and were now heading back south, with no sign whatsoever of the deranged princess. Well, they had really only gone as far north as it seemed possible to have gotten on foot, maybe a bit more to be safe, but the point remained; they didn't have jack to show for their trip thus far, and they hadn't spotted anything of significance.

"Sorry Toph, but we have more experience on the chasee's side of the spectrum, not the chasers." Sokka remarked in his typical fashion of sarcasm and wit.

"Maybe we should have brought Zuko along." Katara added, remembering all too well how impossibly determined he had been in chasing them all around the world and then some.

Aang, however, remained unusually quiet, and if any of his friends could have seen his face, they would have noticed an expression devoid of any humor at their current situation. "You guys this is nothing to joke about, Zuko is about to make a huge mistake."

"You mean a bigger one than letting that psycho out in the first place?!" Katara shot back.

"There's no turning back once you go down the path of murder Katara! You know this yourself, you should understand how important it is to let go of anger and forgive. Killing is never an option!" The young Avatar argued back forcefully, his unwavering conviction in the sanctity of all life being a foundation of his beliefs.

"Guys, we've already been down this road before," Sokka groaned, only recently having woken up and still groggy, "look, we have to find her first, and then we still have to catch her, so maybe we should worry more about how we're going to do that, then worry about what we're going to do after." In another of his rare moments of brilliance, the young man was surprisingly, yet absolutely, right.

"It's not like she's just going send a blast of fire up into the air and say 'Hey guys, I'm over here!' We're never that lucky you guys."

In response, a plume of azure flame exploded into existence far ahead of them, just past the edge of the forest they were currently passing over.

"Huh," Sokka remarked, only slight surprise in his voice, "I didn't think that would actually work. Thank you the Universe!"

* * *

><p>A hawk cry signaled the avian's return was at hand, and Vzad lifted his arm to give it a perch to land on. The bird landed gracefully on his familiar spot, screeching his discovery.<p>

"So, they did head north afterall. Thank you friend, go rest now." With a final cry the hawk lifted up and made for his place at the top of the ship's bridge. Vzad turned to regard the shore, which they had been keeping as close as possible to, and contemplated on what his next move should be.

"Find something, did he?" Came that silk ribbon voice that haunted too many of his dreams. He turned to regard her, barefoot as usual, and looking for all the world like the restless ghost of the grieving widow who could never find rest from one sailor's tale or another.

"Yes, Redwind has always had good sight, even for a hawk. They're heading north it would seem, apparently found a couple others to accompany them, but there's no doubt about it, he saw them sure as death." Vzad gazed hard and long out across the water, determination plain across his face as he looked out upon the shore and what lay beyond. His target, _targets_now he supposed, were somewhere out there. And now, he had a direction.

"So I suppose we'll be leaving for the shore soon then?" She mused, recognizing the glint in her companion's eye.

"Soon, but not just yet, they're still heading north, disembarking here would just put us behind them." Vzad turned once again to look Nida in the eye, a familiarly wicked as it was clever smile on his face, "You don't chase a running target, dear Nida, you head it off."

A bright burst of blue fire immediately caught his attention, and the wind shifted to run alongside the ship, urging it faster on it's northern course.

* * *

><p>"Alright, are you sure about this Ty?" Azula asked, suddenly unsure of herself. Propelling even herself in this fashion would require an immense amount of firepower, let alone the two of them. There was also, of course, the very real possibility that one or both of them could get severely injured if something went wrong. "If something happens you could get hurt."<p>

"It's alright Azula." Ty Lee reassured in a calm, soothing tone as she squeezed her arms around the Firebender's torso, hugging her from behind and holding on tightly and head resting snugly on the girl's shoulder. "I trust you."

As if those words were a spark that had been struck, an explosive fire ignited inside Azula as a tear threatened her eye, and with all her focus she directed the energies down, out, and...

_FWOOSH!_They rocketed forward as an incredible plume of azure flame erupted from behind them. It was hardly controllable, and as they propelled towards the treeline still far ahead, Azula suddenly realized that this was hardly what one could call "traveling incognito," and just as suddenly as she had started, she had to cut the fire off, causing them to continue gliding over the gravel for a few more yards before she dug her heels into the ground and they came skidding to an uneasy stop. Ultimately, thanks to Ty Lee, they were a bit too top heavy and ended up tumbling into the dirt, dirt dust and rocks flying up everywhere around them.

Coughing and sputtering, Ty Lee was incredulous as she asked, "What was that all about?"

"Ty Lee, those flames were massive! We have people chasing after us, how many of them do you think saw those?!" Azula retorted, wide-eyed and disbelieving of herself that she had just been so foolish. Realization apparently hit Ty Lee like a charging Moose-Lion, and she jumped up, dusting herself off and looking back behind them, then again towards the forest, trying to gauge the distance.

"Azula..." She looked back to the other girl nervously, "I think we should be running."

Without so much as a second thought, Azula replied, "Yes, we should."

* * *

><p>"No doubt about it sir, that has to be her." One of the soldiers was saying to Lee-Tzu, simply confirming what they had all seen.<p>

"Men, pick up the pace, we know she isn't far off now, but you can bet your asses we weren't the only ones who saw it. MARCH!" The aged General barked, determined to catch the ex-princess as quickly as possible. Time was only an all-too precious and tragically short resource.

The soldiers following him needed no further encouragement, and quickened their pace at once, kicking up dust in their wake and plodding onwards as if weariness were but a word, and a meaningless one at that.

* * *

><p>"Come on Azula, we have to go faster!" A frantic Ty Lee was impatiently urging, the all-too real threat of soldiers, assassins, and spirits only knew what else sending her into a semi-hysteric state. None of which was made any better by the fact that her best friend was only now realizing the true extent of her atrophy. A year without any real exercise had apparently done more damage than Azula had anticipated, and she simply couldn't keep up a sprint for as long as she had hoped. The treeline, for as close as it seemed, could just as well have been the other side of the Fire Nation.<p>

"Dammit.." The ex-princess wheezed, "One year... and I'm... falling... apart."

"We're almost there, just a little bit further 'Zula." For all that she pleaded, Ty Lee could tell just by looking at her that the other girl wasn't getting much further. It was a split-second decision, and she made it without hesitation.

The next thing Azula knew, she was once again being hoisted onto the acrobat's back, and after a brief as it was futile argument, she accepted the help more or less graciously, wrapping her legs about Ty Lee's waist and her arms around her neck.

So, for the second time in only a few days, Ty Lee found herself running across an open field heading for the relative safety of a forest with her best friend turned lover on her back, the only difference this time being that the other girl was awake, and not at all happy about the situation.

One foot in front of the other. It was all she could do, and for as simple as it was in concept, it seemed unreasonably hard to execute in reality. Her lungs ached, legs burned, and the sweat streaming down from her forehead seemed determined in it's goal of dripping into her eyes, made all the worse by the fact she couldn't wipe any of it away with her hands, preoccupied as they were holding up the person clinging to her. One foot in front of the other. In front of the other. In front of the other...

The trees grew taller as the girls drew nearer, and along with them, so too did the budding hope in their collective chests blossom. They could make it. They would make it. One foot in front of the other, and the trees were practically within throwing distance of a stone. Just a few more, just a few more steps and they were there. They had made it. They were-

"_RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOORRRRR!"_

Fucked.

Azula's head shot up instinctively at the sound, familiar from what seemed almost like a past life to her now, but familiar all the same. She had spent enough time tracking the beast to know what the Avatar's bison sounded like, and if her brother had sent soldiers to track her down, she had certainly anticipated he would have sent the young Avatar as well. She had merely hoped beyond hope that she could avoid him longer. Hope, it seemed, didn't go quite as far as one would like it to, and apparently picked the worst times to fizzle out.

Ty Lee wasn't about to give up though, and drawing on an inner reserve of strength neither of them knew she had she quickened her pace. They were too close, simply _too close_to not make it. Azula waited breathlessly, watching the sky and expecting to see the massive animal at any moment. When the boughs of a tree blocked her view of the blue she thought she would almost shout for joy, but instead all she did was exhale a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. In almost an instant, the pair dissipated into the indiscernable foilage of the forest, lost among the trees and leaves.

It wasn't long after that when Appa cleared the treeline, and there could be seen heads poking out from the sides of his saddle, searching frantically in every direction.

"Any sign of her?" Sokka called to Aang after a glance at his sister revealed she had no better luck than he in spotting anything.

"No.." He called back, voice thick with perplexed frustration. "But we aren't the only ones looking." He announced, leveling his gaze dead ahead of them at the black mass of soldiers heading in their direction, still far enough off to not be an immediate concern but their presence alone was disconcerting enough. With a jerk of the reins, Appa suddenly reversed course, so suddenly it nearly threw the other passengers off balance.

"A little warning next time Twinkletoes!?" Came Toph's indignant cry, easily the least comfortable of all the passengers with flying. They landed on the ground a little less smoothly than the blind passenger would have liked, but the instant her feet touched solid ground she felt immediately at ease.

"They must be in there." Aang indicated the forest, and with a steel resolve he rushed in to search, his three friends not far behind. They entered a forest of thick, dense foilage and gnarled, branching trees, a haven for anyone in trying to hide. The trees were easy to climb, and their leaves obscured view from the ground just as it had from the sky.

"Guys, this could be a little harder than we anticipated.." Katara admitted sullenly, suddenly realizing exactly what the situation was. "We would have to split up to have any hope of finding her, and I don't think that's such a good idea."

Aang, however, was undeterred by the prospect, stating confidently, "We have to try, we have to find her before those soldiers do."

"But she could be anywhere Twinkletoes! And in case you've forgotten, I'm not a woodbender, I can't see up these trees. You guys would have to literally search every single one of them.." Pointed out a less than enthusiastic Toph.

The Avatar, however, was still bound and determined to go about searching for a needle in a haystack. A tiny, quiet needle in a huge, huge haystack. He leaped up into trees, only to come crashing back through the leafy canopies moments later, and continuing on to the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Meanwhile, Toph was relegated to stomping about the forest floor, searching for any foxholes or other potential in-ground hiding places, and though she already knew better, she was done arguing for the time being. Azula wasn't stupid enough to hide on the ground when her pursuers had a walking motion detector that could locate anything moving on or under it. Toph was surprised (Though maybe not, she realized), to learn just how many snakes were residing in the forests of the Fire Nation.

Sokka and Katara were essentially useless in the searching aspect, as the time it would take either to climb a single tree, Aang would have searched a dozen, and Toph could detect anything ground level or below for further than their working eyes could see. So, they more or less pretended to be useful while serving as glorified backup in case of a sudden ambush, watching their friends' backs and counting the minutes turning to hours. Eventually, it grew dark and at last the Avatar was prepared call it quits, much to the relief of a now thoroughly bored Toph who had given up all attempts at pretending to be searching and just started kicking trees to test how far up she could sense. Not nearly far enough, she realized, and wondered just how big these damn "tree" things were. To her credit, she did discover more than a few families of squirrelcupines inside various tree trunks.

"Alright, we've been searching for hours and haven't found any sign of her. I think we should go back to Appa, get some rest and maybe she'll move on." Aang admitted sullenly, not too happy about the time wasted and how close they might have been to catching her, but realizing that he was pushing too hard and had to know when to give up. "At any rate, we'll never find her in here, but she can't hide out in the woods forever." With resounding agreements from all around, the four friends made their way back to the southern edge of the woods.

It was only after they emerged from the thicket that they all remembered, and for very obvious reasons, a crucial detail that had been all but forgotten during the mundane process of scouring the woods. The soldiers. They had never entered the woods behind the, despite probably having reached it hours ago. No, instead they appeared to have set up camp for the night, right at the southern border of the forest. They had made a point of keeping a respectful distance away from Appa, who still and despite the relatively new peace had a strong dislike of their ilk.

"Find anything?" One of the sentries hollered tauntingly upon noticing them all. Obviously, they didn't have Azula, so they hadn't found her.

Toph was about ready to give the guy a piece of her mind (and probably foot as well), but Sokka held her back. "Easy Toph, let's just get out of here. Besides, what do we have to prove, that we can beat them twice?" That last part he said just loud enough that he knew it would be heard, and the two of them enjoyed the smug satisfaction of the man's obvious irritation.

General Lee-Tzu sat calmly, pretending to study some irrelevant maps while really he was watching the Avatar and his friends take off to find somewhere more peaceful to rest. After they had disappeared and a few minutes had gone by, he turned to one of his fellows sitting next to him. "Are they gone?" The other soldier nodded, having tracked their movements the entire time. "Alright, you know what to do."

The soldier he had addressed, along with one other, took off swiftly into the forest, searching for and almost immediately picking up a trail of footprints.

* * *

><p>"He's persistent, I'll give him that. Not very thorough though." Azula mused, having gotten to watch the Avatar and his friends practically picking the forest apart in their search for her. She had rightly guessed the tree's would only be so useful in hiding her from someone who could essentially leap up them, and so she had located a particularly perplexing one to hide in. The way the branches twisted and curled around provided one peculiar little nook in which the two girls could hide somewhat effectively. The fact that it was probably the hundredth something tree he had been up definitely helped in ensuring that he was more irritated and less methodical by the time he had gotten to it, and when he went rushing up past them he hadn't even spared a passing glance.<p>

She had wondered briefly whether or not Toph would be able to detect them if she kicked the tree, but waved that worry away when it became apparent the blind Earthbender was just trying to amuse herself at that point. When they all finally turned and left, she breathed a sigh of relief, but waited a while longer just to be safe before poking her head out and checking to see if the coast was indeed clear.

It was getting to be too dark to see much at all, and Azula was just about ready to climb down the tree and continue onwards when a quiet rustling noise caught her attention. Gazing out into the darkness, she watched intently at a couple soldiers eventually appeared, moving slowly and constantly checking the ground before going further, and obvious sign they were trackers. What had her worried, was the fact that they seemed to be spot on with the trail, heading straight for the tree in which they were nestled. As they drew nearer and nearer still, she held her breath, and waited.

The lead man stopped, gazing at the tree only briefly before looking back to the ground. He indicated for his partner to head in a different direction, while he continued onwards following what must have been the Avatar's footprints. He eventually disappeared further into the dark of night once more, and again silence settled around them.

Azula couldn't decide if it was justified cautiousness or outright paranoia, but she stayed exactly as she was for what must have been another hour yet, despite no further sign of either of the trackers, though she thought she caught the snapping of a twig or the rustling of some underbrush every now and again. She was almost convinced that the moment she stepped foot on the ground, something would get her. Terrible, glowing and furious Avatars, legions of bloodthirsty soldiers, giant killer forest snakes... Something was going to get her alright.

Another half hour, or maybe even full hour, had passed before she finally had enough of a grip on her nerves to make the decision. She nudged sleeping Ty Lee, thankfully not a snorer, until the girl opened her eyes and gazed about at the darkness.

"What..?"

"Shhh." Azula hushed her, still in a highly aware state of paranoia inspired caution. "We have to be quiet, they could still be out there looking for us." Ty Lee nodded her understanding, and so, just as quietly as could be, they crept back down the gnarled trunk of the massive tree, dropping their weight onto each branch slowly enough to prevent even the slightest creaking sound from emitting. At long last, they reached the ground, careful not to rustle any dead leaves, and turned to peer out into the darkness.

Azula practically jumped out of her skin when she heard Ty Lee shriek from right behind her, and without missing a beat she spun, arm outstretched and two fingers extended as she let loose a blast of azure flame, cutting through the darkness directly above the other girl's head, and reducing a hanging vine to little more than a smoldering pile. All at once, it was pitch black again, even more so thanks the brief but intense light their eyes had just been exposed to, but Ty Lee didn't need to be able to see the glare Azula was giving her to know it was there all the same.

"I thought it was a snake." She offered meakly, unable to give any explanation but the truth. She heard more than saw her friend's palm smacking into her own forehead.

"Let's just get out of here already, this place has given me the creeps for far too long." Azula remarked, turning on her heel to begin on their northbound journey once more.

She took a single step and then the world all around them exploded into blinding, dazzling light. Fire appeared in a ring surrounding them, and the source was clear enough. The battalion of soldiers that had been following them were apparently smarter than the Avatar, and more patient as well. Fires were lit in the palms of the men immediately surrounding them, while pikes could be seen clearly enough in the hands of those who stood behind. It was impossible to tell how many were there altogether, but Azula and Ty Lee both knew there was more than enough. They hadn't attacked outright though, and the fact that the men with weapons weren't necessarily pointing them at her, Azula decided to pose the obvious question.

"What do you want with me? Why have you been following us?" She demanded, attempting to sound like the authoritative princess she used to be but noting that the soldiers seemed unfazed. She slid into a stance, ready to go down fighting, and felt Ty Lee doing the same right at her back. A surge of emotion raced through her, realizing her friend was prepared to die fighting at her side on last time, though she likely didn't deserve it.

"I believe I can answer that." An aged yet still powerful voice declared from beyond the ranks of men, and they parted to allow their commanding officer through. A General Azula immediately noticed, but not one she remembered ever seeing before. "But first, where are my manners." He cleared his throat, straightening his back and shifting his armor until he was a picturesque visage of a Fire Nation General.

"It is our honor to finally have the chance to serve you, Fire Lord Azula." He immediately dropped to his knees in a formal bow, and all at once the soldiers around him followed suit.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Eh, so, two months in the making, and that's what it is. I know, not too great but hey, it wasn't much fun writing either, kind of why it took so long, general disinterest and the fact that I want so badly to write the interesting stuff but I have to build up to it first .

Anyways thanks for taking the time, as always.


End file.
